Origin:
before 1000; Middle English, Old English mot speck; cognate with Dutch mot grit, sawdust, Norwegian mutt speck
before 1000; Middle English, Old English mot speck; cognate with Dutch mot grit, sawdust, Norwegian mutt speck
Related forms
mote·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To mote
00:10
Mote
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
mote1 (məʊt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a tiny speck | |
| [Old English mot; compare Middle Dutch mot grit, Norwegian mutt speck] | |
| mote2 (məʊt) | |
| —vb , past moste | |
| archaic ( | |
| [Old English mōt, first person singular present tense of mōtan to be allowed] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
mote
"particle of dust," O.E. mot, of unknown origin; perhaps related to Du. mot "dust from turf, sawdust, grit." Many references are to Matt. vii.3.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Mote definition
(Gr. karphos, something dry, hence a particle of wood or chaff, etc.). A slight moral defect is likened to a mote (Matt. 7:3-5; Luke 6:41, 42).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Example sentences
When a mote wakes up, the preamble will still be transmitting, signaling the listener to stay alert for an upcoming message.
Though a mote in the dustheap of society, he is no derelict.
Everyone you know is in that picture, on that tiny mote of light.
Nearby Words
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