As an ancient word, “mooring” (probably stemming from the Dutch verb meren, moor, used in English since the end of the 15th century) has accumulated a number of related uses.

When used as noun, the word mooring refers to any permanent structure that fixes a vessel's position to the bottom of a waterway without connecting the vessel to shore.

When used as a verb, mooring refers to any means of attaching a vessel to a fixed object such as a bollard, pier, quay or a mooring.