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1

mote

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auxiliary verb \ˈmōt\

Definition of mote

archaic

  1. :  may, might

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Origin and Etymology of mote

Middle English, from Old English mōtan to be allowed to — more at must


First Known Use: before 12th century

2

mote

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noun \ˈmōt\

Definition of mote

  1. :  a small particle :  speck motes danced in the shafts of sunlight — Margaret Kennedy

See mote defined for English-language learners

See mote defined for kids

Examples of mote in a Sentence

  1. there's not a mote of dirt in that woman's house

Origin and Etymology of mote

Middle English mot, from Old English; akin to Middle Dutch & Frisian mot sand


First Known Use: before 12th century

mote Synonyms

Synonyms
atom, crumb, dribble, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, bit, nubbin, nugget, particle, patch, scrap, scruple, snip, snippet, speck, tittle
Related Words
ace, dab, dash, driblet, drop, fraction, haet [chiefly Scottish], halfpenny, ha'penny, iota, jot, kenning [chiefly Scottish], lick, minim, mite, modicum, nutshell, ounce, pinch, shred, smatter, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), spot, strain, streak, suspicion, taste, touch, trace, whisper, whit; bite, mouthful, nibble, tidbit (also titbit); fragment, part, portion, section; chip, flake, shard, shiver, sliver, splinter; clipping, paring, shaving; smithereens
Near Antonyms
chunk, gob, hunk, lump, slab; abundance, barrel, bucket, bushel, deal, heaps, loads, mass, mountain, peck, pile, pot, profusion, quantity, raft, scads, stack, volume, wad, wealth

MOTE Defined for English Language Learners

2

mote

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noun \ˈmōt\

Definition of mote for English Language Learners

  • : a very small piece of dust, dirt, etc.

MOTE Defined for Kids

mote

play
noun \ˈmōt\

Definition of mote for Students

  1. :  a small particle :  speck a mote of dust

Learn More about mote

  1. See words that rhyme with mote Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mote Spanish Central: Translation of mote Nglish: Translation of mote for Spanish speakers

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Examples: mote in a Sentence