mote

CEFRC2

/moʊt/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A very small piece of dust or other matter.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    May or might.

Examples

  • One sees the mote in another's eye, but not the beam in his own eye.

  • a wardmote in the city of London

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /məʊt/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A small particle; a speck.

  2. A meeting for discussion.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. Forming subjunctive expressions of wish: may.

More examples

In context

  • So mote it be!

  • What shall a Mote up to a Monarch rise? An Emmet match an Emperor in might?

  • 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.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A single blank of dust floated in the bright sunbeam through the window.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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”).