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in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology 1
From French mot . Doublet of motto .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot (plural mots )
A witty remark ; a witticism ; a bon mot .
1859 , unknown author, “Literary Adventure. Life of Douglas Jerrold”, in North British Review :Here and there turns up a [ …] savage mot .
1970 , John Glassco, Memoirs of Montparnasse , New York, published 2007 , page 32 :‘He comes from Montreal, in Canada.’ ‘Why?’ she said, repeating Dr Johnson's mot with a forced sneer.
( obsolete ) A word or a motto ; a device .
1597–1598 , Joseph Hall , Virgidemiarum
With his big title, an Italian mot
( obsolete ) A note or brief strain on a bugle .
Etymology 2
Probably from Dutch mot ( “ woman ” ) . See also mort ( “ woman ” ) and moth ( “ girlfriend ” ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot (plural mots )
( UK , Ireland , slang ) A woman ; a wife .
1789 , G. Parker, “The Sandman's Wedding”, in Farmer, John Stephen , editor, Musa Pedestris , published 1896 :Come wed, my dear, and let's agree, / Then of the booze-ken you'll be free; / No sneer from cully, mot , or froe / Dare then reproach my Bess for Joe; / For he's the kiddy rum and queer, / That all St. Giles's boys do fear.
1829 July, Vidocq, Eugène François with Maginn, William, transl. , “Noctes Ambrosiana [En roulant de vergne en vergne ]”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine , number 45 , translation of En roulant de vergne en vergne , page 133 :And we shall caper a-heel-and-toeing, / A Newgate hornpipe some fine day; / With the mots , their ogles throwing, / Tol lol, &c. / And old Cotton humming his pray.
( UK , Ireland , slang ) A prostitute .
( UK , Ireland , slang ) A landlady .
1851 , Henry Mayhew , London Labour and the London Poor , volume 1, page 217 :After some altercation with the "mot " of the "ken" (mistress of the lodging-house) about the cleanliness of a knife or fork, my new acquaintance began to arrange "ground," &c., for the night's work.
Anagrams
Albanian
Etymology
From Proto-Albanian *māti ( “ time ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *méh₁tis ( “ measurement ” ) , deverbative of *meh₁- ( “ to measure ” ) ; compare Old English mǣþ ( “ measure ” ) , Lithuanian mẽtas ( “ time ” ) , Ancient Greek μῆτις ( mêtis , “ plan ” ) .[ 1] Sense shift from ‘time’ to ‘weather, year, era’ influenced by Latin tempus ( “ time, weather ” ) (compare Romanian timp , French temps ).
Noun
mot m (plural mote , definite moti , definite plural motet )
weather
Synonym: qëro ( archaic )
year
era , times (uncountable)
Declension
Derived terms
Compounds
Adverb
mot
next year
References
^ Vladimir Orel, Albanian Etymological Dictionary (Leiden: Brill, 1998), 274–5.
Catalan
Etymology
From Late Latin muttum ( “ sound ” ) , from muttire ( “ mutter, make a mu -noise ” ) , of onomatopoeic origin. Compare French mot .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot m (plural mots )
word
Synonym: paraula
Derived terms
Further reading
Crimean Tatar
Noun
mot
fashion
Şimdi pek mot emiş ağarğan saçlar (please add an English translation of this usage example)
Ah men şu mot luqtan uzaq olaydım. (please add an English translation of this usage example)
Dutch
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch motte , from Proto-West Germanic *mottō , *moþþō , perhaps related to *muggju ( “ mosquito, midge ” ) ,[ 1] or *maþō ( “ worm ” ) .[ 2] Cognate to English moth , German Motte .
Noun
mot f (plural motten , diminutive motje n )
butterfly -like insect: moth ( usually nocturnal insect of the order Lepidoptera )
Hyponyms: nachtvlinder , uil
Derived terms
Descendants
Negerhollands: mot
→ Papiamentu: mot ( dated )
References
Etymology 2
Onomatopoeic .
Noun
mot f (plural motten , diminutive motje n )
a slap , a blow , a hit (physical aggression with hands or fists)
( by extension ) a quarrel , tiff
Etymology 3
From Middle Low German mutte , perhaps ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *muþraz ( “ to be dirty, wet ” ) .
Noun
mot f (plural motten , diminutive motje n )
a female pig; a sow
Synonym: zeug
( by extension ) a lewd woman
Derived terms
Etymology 4
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Noun
mot f (plural motten , diminutive motje n )
light rain; drizzle
French
Etymology
Inherited from Middle French mot , from Old French mot , from Late Latin muttum ( “ sound ” ) , from muttīre ( “ mutter, make a mu -noise ” ) , of onomatopoeic origin.
Has almost entirely replaced parole in Modern French, perhaps because of its brevity. Compare Catalan mot .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot m (plural mots )
word
Synonym: parole
1903 , Louise-Victorine Ackermann , Pensées d'une solitaire , page 43 :Le poète est bien plus un évocateur de sentiments et d’images qu’un arrangeur de rimes et de mots . The poet is rather more an evoker of feelings and images than an arranger of rhymes and words .
note , (short) message
Synonyms: message , note
answer to an enigma
Derived terms
Further reading
Anagrams
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English mot .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot (plural motes )
speck , particle
Descendants
References
Etymology 2
From Old English mōt , from Proto-West Germanic *mōtu , from Proto-Germanic *mōtō ( “ tax, toll ” ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot (plural motes or moteez )
( Early Middle English , rare ) tax
Descendants
References
Etymology 3
From Old English *mōt , ġemōt ( “ meeting ” ) , from Proto-Germanic *mōtą .
Noun
mot (plural mots )
meeting ; assembly
disputation , debate , argument
A company of people.
Descendants
References
Etymology 4
Verb
mot
first / third-person singular present indicative of moten ( “ to have to ” )
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French mot
Noun
mot m (plural mots )
word
Descendants
Norwegian Bokmål
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Noun
mot n (definite singular motet , uncountable )
courage
Etymology 2
From Old Norse mót .
Noun
mot n (definite singular motet , indefinite plural mot , definite plural mota or motene )
a meeting
Derived terms
Etymology 3
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Preposition
mot
to , towards
Kjør mot byen. ― Drive towards town.
against , from
En paraply skjermer deg mot regnet! ― An umbrella protects you from the rain!
against , versus
Det var et kappløp mot tiden. ― It was a race against time.
Derived terms
References
“mot” in The Bokmål Dictionary .
Norwegian Nynorsk
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Noun
mot n (definite singular motet , uncountable )
courage
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Old Norse mót .
Noun
mot n (definite singular motet , indefinite plural mot , definite plural mota )
a meeting
Derived terms
Etymology 3
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Preposition
mot
to , towards
Han kom mot dei. ― He came towards them.
against , from ; for
Har de noko som verkar mot tett nase? ― Do you have anything that works for a stuffy nose?
against , versus
Kven skal me spela mot ? ― Who shall we play against ?
Derived terms
References
“mot” in The Nynorsk Dictionary .
Occitan
Etymology
From Late Latin muttum .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot m (plural mots )
word
Old English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
mōt
first / third-person singular present of motan
Etymology 2
From Proto-West Germanic *mōtu , from Proto-Germanic *mōtō ( “ tax, toll ” ) .
Noun
mōt f
toll
tax
meeting
Declension
Strong ō -stem:
Descendants
See also
Old French
Etymology 1
From Late Latin muttum .
Noun
mot oblique singular , m (oblique plural moz or motz , nominative singular moz or motz , nominative plural mot )
word
Synonym: ( more common ) parole
Descendants
Etymology 2
See molt
Adjective
mot m (oblique and nominative feminine singular mote )
Alternative form of molt
Adverb
mot
Alternative form of molt
Old Occitan
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Latin multus .
Adverb
mot
much ; a lot
Etymology 2
From Late Latin muttum .
Noun
mot m (oblique plural motz , nominative singular motz , nominative plural mot )
word
References
Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse mót , from Proto-Germanic *mōtą , *gamōtą .
Interchange sense coined by Swedish professor in Nordic languages Ture Johannisson in 1956.[ 1]
Pronunciation
Noun
mot n
( chiefly west Sweden ) A point where two or more objects meet (e.g. the joint of two bones).
( chiefly west Sweden ) A slip road or flyover .
( chiefly west Sweden ) A grade-separated interchange ; a large junction where two or more roads meet.
Synonyms: trafikplats , ( Finland ) planskild anslutning
( Ostrobothnia ) A passing place .
Synonym: mötesplats
Declension
Derived terms
ledamot ( “ body part; board member ” )
Preposition
mot
to , towards
Kör mot stan. ― Drive towards the town.
against
Det där är mot lagen! ― That’s against the law!
versus
Derived terms
References
^ Tova Juhlin, Torbjörn Nilsson (2020 October 2) “Mot eller trafikplats - varför heter det olika? ["Mot" or "trafikplats" – why are they called different things? ]”, in P4 Östergötland (in Swedish), Sveriges Radio : “Sven-Göran Malmgren vid Göteborgs universitet menar att ordet "mot" lanserades 1956 av professorn i nordiska språk Ture Johannisson och betyder ungefär "möte". ― Sven-Göran Malmgren at the University of Gothenburg states that the word "mot" was introduced in 1956 by the professor of Nordic languages Ture Johannisson and means roughly "meeting". ”
Further reading
Anagrams
Tocharian B
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *médʰu ( “ mead, honey wine ” )
Noun
mot ?
alcohol
alcoholic beverage
Volapük
Noun
mot (nominative plural mots )
mother
Synonym: jifat
Hypernym: pal
Coordinate term: fat
1952 , Arie de Jong, Diatek nulik: Gospul ma ‚Matthaeus’. Kapit: I :Mot omik: ‚Maria’ ämatirajanof ko ‚Ioseph’, äplakoy, das büä ikobikons, pigrodükof fa Saludalanal.His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Declension
declension of mot
1 status as a case is disputed
2 in later, non-classical Volapük only
Derived terms
See also
Walloon
Etymology
From Late Latin muttum ( “ sound ” )
Pronunciation
Noun
mot m (plural mots )
word
Derived terms
Yola
Etymology 1
From Middle English but , from Old English būtan . The b was changed to m as a back-formation from the Irish mutated forms, where *mbot and *bhot were reinterpreted as mot and *mhot.
Pronunciation
Preposition
mot
but
1867 , “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , number 5, page 86 :Mot w'all aar boust, hi soon was ee-teightBut with all their bravado they were soon taught
1867 , “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , number 11 , page 88 :Wode zar; mot , all arkagh var ee barnaugh-blowe, Would serve; but , all eager for the barnagh-stroke,
1867 , “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , number 2, page 102 :Aar was nodhing ee-left mot a heade, There was nothing left but the head,
1867 , “ABOUT AN OLD SOW GOING TO BE KILLED”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , number 1, page 106 :Mot earch oan to aar die. Ich mosth kotch a bat.But every one to his day. I must catch the bat.
1867 , “ABOUT AN OLD SOW GOING TO BE KILLED”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , number 2, page 106 :Vear'd nodhing mot Portheare. Na skeine e'er ee-waare. I feared nothing but Porter. No skein I ever wore.
Etymology 2
From Middle English mot , from Old English mōt , from Proto-West Germanic *mōtu , from Proto-Germanic *mōtō .
Pronunciation
Noun
mot
asking ( a charge on goods )
Etymology 3
Perhaps from Middle English moten ( “ to speak, talk, say ” ) , from Old English mōtian .
Pronunciation
Verb
mot
to ask
1867 , “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , number 2, page 84 :Well, gosp, c'hull be zeid; mot thee fartoo, an fade; Well, gossip, it shall be told; you ask what ails me, and for what;
Etymology 4
Noun
mot
Alternative form of mothe ( “ mote ” )
References
Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland , London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867 , page 57