Mogul

Moguls are those large bumps found on some runs in snowboarding/skiing areas. They are formed by many skiiers following the same tracks down a hill. They are popular with some skiiers, for challenge factor or because it's fun to bounce around them. They are hated by most snowboarders as they are very difficult to maneuver through with a snowboard. Good boarders can do it but its not usually very fun - you can't go very fast or carve well. When they are icy they are almost impassable. Moguls are abundant on runs that aren't groomed, and when conditions are crappy.

Moguls are not always made by a lot of people unintentionally skiing in the same tracks.
They are often made by the ski resort on a few trails because some people like them.

It is generally more tiring to ski through moguls, because you have to turn sharply a lot of times to avoid going straight into a mogul. That can be bad, often resulting in being out of control and not being able to slow down, or just falling when you land.

Mogul is an eponym for an important and influential magnate.

The word comes to us from a Muslim dynasty that was established in India in 1526 and flourished until 1857; the empire was also known as Mughal or Mongol. It was founded by Babur, a Turkish leader who invaded and occupied Delhi and Agra. He was succeeded by his son Humayun, who wasn't as astute a leader as his father; he lost the empire to the Afghan chieftain Sher Khan. Then came Humayun's son Akbar, greatest of the Mughal emperors; he reestablished Mughal power and expanded his territory immensely. His son Jahangir and grandson Shah Jahan further consolidated the empire, and Shah Jahan was the one who had many impressive monuments and buildings, such as the Taj Mahal, constructed. After Shah Jahan the empire went into decline, suffering from Hindu revolts, dynastic struggles, and incursions from Persia and Afghanistan. The British took control of the empire in the late 18th century and maintained puppet Mogul emporers until the mid-19th century, after which it ceased to exist even in name.

Today only the gorgeous works of art and architecture, and the term mogul itself, remain to remind us of the glory of this once-great empire and the power of its rulers.

A.Word.A.Day
www.infoplease.com

Mo*gul" (?), n. [From the Mongolian.]

1.

A person of the Mongolian race.

2. (Railroad)

A heavy locomotive for freight traffic, having three pairs of connected driving wheels and a two-wheeled truck.

Great, or Grand, Mogul, the sovereign of the empire founded in Hindostan by the Mongols under Baber in the sixteenth century. Hence, a very important personage; a lord; -- sometimes only mogul. Dryden.

 

© Webster 1913

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Mo*gul", n.

A great personage; magnate; autocrat.

 

© Webster 1913