Mote

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊt
• Homophones: moat

From Middle English mot, from Old English mot ("grain of sand").

Full definition of mote

Noun

1. A small particle; a speck.
• Authorized Version|Matthew|7|5Thou 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.
2. A tiny computer for remote sensing. Also known as smartdust.

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"), Danish måtte ("might, may"), Ancient Greek μέδω (médō, "to prevail, dominate, rule over"). Related to empty.

Verb

verb

1. (now archaic) May or might. from 9th c.
• 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.7:he … kept aloofe for dread to be descryde,
  Untill fit time and place he mote espy,
  Where he mote worke him scath and villeny.
2. (obsolete) Must. 9th-17th c.
3. (now archaic) Forming subjunctive expressions of wish: may. from 9th c.
• 1980, Erica Jong, Fanny:‘I shall not take Vengeance into my own Hands. The Goddess will do what She will.’ ‘So mote it be,’ said the Grandmaster.

Usage notes

Generally takes an infinitive without to.

See moot ("a meeting").

Noun

1. (obsolete) A meeting for discussion.a wardmote in the city of London
2. (obsolete) A body of persons who meet for discussion, especially about the management of affairs.a folkmote
3. (obsolete) A place of meeting for discussion.

Derived terms

• mote bell

Anagrams

• tome