DictionaryAI

mote

SayMOHTUS/moʊt/UK/məʊt/

Pluralmotes

Verbmote, must

6 meanings of mote

Practice

  1. 1
    dust specknounliterarycountable
    A tiny bit of dust or dirt, so small it is hard to see.

    Like a tiny speck of dust you only notice in a beam of light.

    A mote of dust drifted slowly through the sunlight by the window.

    She blinked when a mote landed right in her eye.

    UsageOften used with dust: a mote of dust.

    Similarspeck, particle, fleck, grain

    Note
  2. 2
    tiny computernouncountable
    A very tiny computer that can sense its surroundings and send the information wirelessly.

    Like a grain of sand that can sense things and talk to other grains.

    Each mote in the field measured the soil temperature every hour.

    The team scattered hundreds of motes across the hillside to track moisture.

    Note
  3. 3
    verbarchaic
    An old word meaning 'may', used for what is possible or allowed, or to wish for something.
    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    verbobsolete
    Used to say that something must happen or has to be done.
    Note
  2. 5
    nounobsolete
    An old word for a meeting, or the group of people who met, to talk over and decide things.
    Note
  3. 6
    nounobsolete
    The place where people met to talk and decide things.

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Origins

Meaning 1

From Old English "mot," meaning a grain of sand or tiny speck. It may be linked to the word "mud."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Meanings 3–4

From Old English "motan," meaning to be allowed or able to, or must.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Meanings 5–6

Another form of moot, an old word for a meeting.

Meaning 2

A shortened form of "remote," playing on the other meaning of "mote" (a speck of dust).

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts