mote

1 of 2

noun

: a small particle : speck entry 1
motes danced in the shafts of sunlightMargaret Kennedy

mote

2 of 2

auxiliary verb

archaic
: may, might

Examples of mote in a Sentence

Noun there's not a mote of dirt in that woman's house
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
At Pasteur’s command, the lights went out, save for a cone of light that revealed floating motes of dust. Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025 Slowly, surely, one mote of black dust at a time, tires are leaving their mark on the environment. Tim Stevens, The Verge, 17 Nov. 2023
Auxiliary verb
For Bay Area band Pablo Cruise, however, the connection to the genre has been longer — and mote literal — than for most. Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 6 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for mote

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English mot, from Old English; akin to Middle Dutch & Frisian mot sand

Auxiliary verb

Middle English, from Old English mōtan to be allowed to — more at must

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Auxiliary Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mote was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mote. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

mote

noun
ˈmōt
: a small particle : speck

More from Merriam-Webster on mote

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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