mote

1
[ moht ]
See synonyms for mote on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a small particle or speck, especially of dust.

Origin of mote

1
before 1000; Middle English, Old English mot speck; cognate with Dutch mot grit, sawdust, Norwegian mutt speck

Other words from mote

  • motey, adjective

Words that may be confused with mote

Words Nearby mote

Other definitions for mote (2 of 2)

mote2
[ moht ]

verb,past moste [mohst]. /moʊst/. Archaic.
  1. may or might.

Origin of mote

2
before 900; Middle English mot(e), Old English mōt; cognate with German muss.See must1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mote in a sentence

  • Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

  • The chinks were red with the outer glow, and a stream of mote-laden sunlight, aslant, came in at the companionway.

British Dictionary definitions for mote (1 of 2)

mote1

/ (məʊt) /


noun
  1. a tiny speck

Origin of mote

1
Old English mot; compare Middle Dutch mot grit, Norwegian mutt speck

British Dictionary definitions for mote (2 of 2)

mote2

/ (məʊt) /


verbpast moste (məʊst)
  1. (takes an infinitive without to) archaic may or might

Origin of mote

2
Old English mōt, first person singular present tense of mōtan to be allowed

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