English word origin

Etymology of motte

From French motte, from Anglo-Norman/Old French motte (“mound, hillock”). Doublet of moat.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden or stone structure and surrounded with a ditch. · An argument which is uncontroversial and easy to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French motte, from Anglo-Norman/Old French motte (“mound, hillock”). Doublet of moat.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionmottefr
Derivation mentionmottefro
Doublet mentionmoaten

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "motte"
      },
      "expansion": "French motte"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "motte",
        "4": "",
        "5": "mound, hillock"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French motte (“mound, hillock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "moat"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of moat"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
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    ],
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      "moat#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden or stone structure and surrounded with a ditch.",
        "An argument which is uncontroversial and easy to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy)."
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative form of mott.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Alternative forms.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mott."
      ],
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        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for motte →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bW90dGU