motte
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of motte
An Americanism first recorded in 1830–40; from Mexican Spanish mata; Spanish: “grove, plantation,” perhaps from Late Latin matta mat 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Castle Pulverbatch lie the remains of a motte and bailey castle, believed to be more than 1,000 years old.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
A motte of timber had served him as a mark: the steed had passed close to its edge.
From The War Trail The Hunt of the Wild Horse by Mayne Reid
In a short time they were close in to the motte, yet still no arrow whizzed out.
From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart
Thirty or forty of the hunters had surrounded the motte, and, halted, were sitting in their saddles in a kind of irregular circle.
From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart
OE. smiþþe, OHG. smitta, MHG. smitte, smithy; OE. moþþe, late MHG. motte, moth.
From A Middle High German Primer Third Edition by Joseph Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
