iota
[ahy-oh-tuh]
- a very small quantity; jot; whit.
- the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (I, ι).
- the vowel sound represented by this letter.
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Origin of iota
Synonyms
See more synonyms for iota on Thesaurus.com1. bit, particle, atom, grain, mite.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for iota
Contemporary Examples
Couch was not sentenced to an iota of time in a juvenile detention center or prison.
In this crisis, there were no hands on deck—no one willing to budge one iota from their respective ideological corners.
When I look at Netanyahu and Barak, I don't see an iota of leadership qualities in either of them.
They have no toys and not one iota of affection and connections with staff, which leads to attachment issues.
Any attempt to encroach on it, even by an iota, will ultimately lead to our enslavement by a federal tyranny.
Historical Examples
On and ousia are only ion with an iota broken off; and ouk on is ouk ion.
CratylusPlato
He doesn't spare the horror of the thing one iota, but it "gets one right."
War Letters of a Public-School BoyPaul Jones.
One would not detract an iota from the achievements of these gallant adventurers.
Policing the PlainsR.G. MacBeth
She should not, however, permit herself to fail in one iota of her duty.
The Etiquette of To-dayEdith B. Ordway
It was on the Wednesday night that the Iota crossed to Etretat.
Danger! and Other StoriesArthur Conan Doyle
iota
- the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet (Ι, ι), a vowel or semivowel, transliterated as i or j
- (usually used with a negative) a very small amount; jot (esp in the phrase not one or an iota)
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Word Origin
C16: via Latin from Greek, of Semitic origin; see jot
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for iota
n.
"very small amount," 1630s, figurative use of iota, ninth and smallest letter in the Greek alphabet. Modern use is after Matt. v:18 (see jot), but iota in classical Greek also was proverbially used of anything very small. The letter name is from Semitic (cf. Hebrew yodh).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
iota
(ī-ō′tə)- The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with iota
iota
see not one iota.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.