Mote
/moʊt/noun
A very small particle or speck of dust.
Did you know?Mote comes from an Old English word for a speck or crumb, and it survives in the famous phrase “the mote in your brother’s eye,” where a tiny particle becomes a moral symbol of hidden fault.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“To grind, crush, or rub into small pieces”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*maltaz / *maltō
“A ground or crushed substance; small particles”
Old English
English
mōt
“A speck, crumb, or small particle”
Middle English
English
mote
“A small particle or speck, especially of dust”
Modern English
English
mote
“A tiny speck or fragment”