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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
PARTIAL ENGLISH COVERAGE · FULL CORPUS REMAINS LOCAL5 source sections across 2 headwords matching “Mote”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.
MoteEnglish (en) · Unnumbered etymologySource text
From the French and English surname, spelling variant of Motte, from the noun motte (“stronghold”); also a variant of Mott.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗moteEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
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”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗moteEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
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”), Ancient Greek μέδω (médō, “to prevail, dominate, rule over”). Related to empty.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗moteEnglish (en) · Etymology 3Source text
See moot (“a meeting”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗moteEnglish (en) · Etymology 4Source text
Clipping of remote, with allusion to the other sense of mote (“a speck of dust”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY
More sources for this spelling
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Mayhew–Skeat (1888)
1888; pinned HTML transcription updated October 28, 2024- MoteMiddle English · word_mote_sb_1
Mote, sb. moat, agger, fossa, P; a pond, Manip.; castle, palace, WA; moote, Prompt.; mot, PP.—OF. mote, embankment, also motte (Cotg.).
Read the full source record → - MoteMiddle English · word_mote_vb
Mote, v. to summon before a mot (court), to plead, dispute, discuss a law case, PP, S2; mootyn, Prompt.; motien, S.—AS. mótian (Leo). See Moot.
Read the full source record → - MoteMiddle English · word_mote_sb_2
Mote, sb. note on the huntsman’s horn, CM; moot, HD; mot, S3 (7. 16).—OF. mot, ‘the note winded by an huntsman on his horn’ (Cotg.).
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