iota

noun

io·​ta ī-ˈō-tə 

 in sense 2 sometimes  ē-ˈō-tə

1

: an infinitesimal amount : jot

did not show an iota of interest

2

: the 9th letter of the Greek alphabet see Alphabet Table

Did you know?

Iota and Jot

Feel free to jot this down so you don’t forget: the words iota and jot share a lot more than just a common meaning—both ultimately come from the same word. When Latin scholars transcribed the Greek name of the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, they spelled it as either iota or jota (the letters i and j were simply variants of each other), and these spellings eventually passed into English as iota and jot. Since the Greek letter iota is the smallest letter of its alphabet, both words eventually came to be used in reference to very small things.

Synonyms

• beans
• bubkes
• bupkes
• bupkus
• continental
• damn
• darn
• durn
• diddly [slang]
• diddly-squat [slang]
• doodley-squat
• doodly-squat
• fig
• ghost
• hoot
• jot
• lick
• modicum
• rap
• squat [slang]
• syllable
• tittle
• whit
• whoop

Examples of iota in a Sentence

there's not an iota of doubt regarding the defendant's guilt

Recent Examples on the Web

Delon still retained every iota of his ultra-sultriness. —Victoria Edel, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2024

And in elite speed sports, every iota of energy counts. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2024

This represents only an iota of the destruction this proposed 70-mile power line would inflict on productive forests and farmland, agrarian culture and the lives of Marylanders. —Jerald Brown, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2024

And, most importantly, will these, and Mr. Thiessen’s other recommendations, make an iota of difference in strengthening the alliance? —Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 24 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek iōta, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew yōdh yod

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

iota

noun

io·​ta ī-ˈōt-ə 

1

: the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet

—Ι or ι

2

: a tiny amount : jot

didn't show an iota of interest