Meanings
mote1
plural motes
- literary or puristic; otherwise archaic; literary or puristic; otherwise archaicA small particle; a speck.
What shall a Mote up to a Monarch rise? An Emmet match an Emperor in might?
a. 1729, Edward Taylor, Meditation. Joh. 14.2. I go to prepare a place for you2 more examples
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 7:5I wanted to shrink myself to a mote of dust, plunge into this pool I held in my own cyclopean hands, soar down these runs of light to places where light itself was born from this colloquy of dust.
1979, J.G. Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company, chapter 9Synonyms: modicum
mote2
participle past must · past must
- archaicno present participleMay or might.First known use 9th c.
he […] kept aloofe for dread to be descryde, / Untill fit time and place he mote espy, / Where he mote worke him scath and villeny.
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC - archaicno present participleForming subjunctive expressions of wish: may.First known use 9th c.
‘I shall not take Vengeance into my own Hands. The Goddess will do what She will.’ ‘So mote it be,’ said the Grandmaster.
1980, Erica Jong, Fanny
mote3
plural motes
- obsoleteA body of persons who meet for discussion, especially about the management of affairs.
a folk mote
- obsoleteA place of meeting for discussion.
mote4
plural motes
- A tiny computer for remote sensing; a component element of smartdust.
Mote5
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small particle; a speck.
More synonyms by meaning
noun(nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
mote · noun
- Proto-West Germanic*mot“grain of dirt or sand, speck”
- Old Englishmot“grain of sand; mote; atom”
- Middle Englishmot
- Englishmote
From Middle English mot, from Old English mot (“grain of sand; mote; atom”), from Proto-West Germanic *mot (“grain of dirt or sand, speck”). Perhaps linked to English mud. Compare West Frisian mot (“peat dust”), Dutch mot (“dust from turf; sawdust; grit”), Low German mut (“peat dust, grit”), Norwegian mutt (“speck; mote; splinter; chip”), Italian mota (“mud”), Spanish mota (“speck”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →mote · verb
- Proto-Indo-European*med-“to acquire, possess, be in charge of”
- Proto-Germanic*mōtaną“to be able to, have to, be delegated”
- Old Englishmōtan“to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, may, must”
- Middle Englishmoten
- Englishmote
From Middle English moten, from Old English mōtan (“to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, may, must”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną (“to be able to, have to, be delegated”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to acquire, possess, be in charge of”). Cognate with Dutch moeten (“to have to, must”), German müssen (“to have to, must”), Ancient Greek μέδω (médō, “to prevail, dominate, rule over”). Related to empty.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →mote · noun
Clipping of remote, with allusion to the other sense of mote (“a speck of dust”).
Full word history & related roots →Mote · proper noun
From the French and English surname, spelling variant of Motte, from the noun motte (“stronghold”); also a variant of Mott.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian прашинка
- прашинка (prašinka)A small particle; a speck
Czech smítko
- smítkoA small particle; a speck
Dutch stofdeeltje, vuiltje
- stofdeeltjeA small particle; a speck
- vuiltjeA small particle; a speck
Estonian kübe
- kübeA small particle; a speck
Finnish hiukkanen, hitunen
- hiukkanenA small particle; a speck
- hitunenA small particle; a speck
French atome
- atomeA small particle; a speck
German Stäubchen
- StäubchenA small particle; a speck
Hebrew גרגיר אבק
- גרגיר אבק (gargír avák)A small particle; a speck
Icelandic ögn, rykögn
- ögnA small particle; a speck
- rykögnA small particle; a speck
- kornA small particle; a speck
Irish cáithnín
- cáithnínA small particle; a speck
Italian pagliuzza
- pagliuzzaA small particle; a speck
Japanese ほこり, ちり
- ほこり (hokori)A small particle; a speck
- ちり (chiri)A small particle; a speck
- 微粉 (bifun)A small particle; a speck
Polish pyłek
- pyłekA small particle; a speck
Portuguese partícula
- partículaA small particle; a speck
Russian пыли́нка, сори́нка
- пыли́нка (pylínka)A small particle; a speck
- сори́нка (sorínka)A small particle; a speck
Spanish mota
- motaA small particle; a speck
Swedish smolk, grand
- smolkA small particle; a speck
- grandA small particle; a speck
Turkish parçacık, tanecik
- parçacıkA small particle; a speck
- tanecikA small particle; a speck
- zerreA small particle; a speck
Ukrainian порошинка, пилинка
- порошинка (porošynka)A small particle; a speck
- пилинка (pylynka)A small particle; a speck
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with mote
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
mote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mote
“mote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mote. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mote,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mote.
Source: mote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.