mote

¹

[ moht ]

noun

1. a small particle or speck, especially of dust.
2. moit.

mote

²

[ moht ]

verb

, Archaic.

, past moste [mohst].

1. may or might.

mote

¹

/ məʊt /

verb

1. archaic.
   takes an infinitive without to may or might

mote

²

/ məʊt /

noun

1. a tiny speck

Other Words From

• motey adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mote¹

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

Origin of mote²

before 900; Middle English mot ( e ), Old English mōt; cognate with German muss. See must ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mote¹

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

Origin of mote²

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

Example Sentences

The facility, developed by Mote of Los Angeles, would rely on the mounds of agricultural waste produced on the state’s sprawling almond orchards and other types of farms.

From MIT Technology Review

For instance, they might compare two objects of the same size and mass but different degrees of internal interconnectedness—say, a dust mote and a bacterium.

From Nautilus

Cast the beam from thine eye before noticing the mote in that of thy neighbour.

From Project Gutenberg

"You see the mote in your brother's eye, but not the beam in your own," said Nicolai Egeland, appropriately.

From Project Gutenberg

Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye; and behold a beam is in thy own eye?

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg