What does mote mean?
A mote is a minute particle, especially a speck of dust. Because such particles are often invisible until they catch the light, the word has a poetic association with tiny points drifting through the air. It can also refer figuratively to an exceedingly small amount of something: a person may say that there is “not a mote of doubt” or “a mote of hope.” The expression “a mote of dust” is the most familiar modern use. Mote is less common than words such as speck or particle, and it often gives writing a formal, literary, or atmospheric quality. In scientific or descriptive contexts, it can identify an individual microscopic particle, while in figurative contexts it emphasizes how little of a substance, feeling, or quality is present.
nounA tiny particle or speck, especially one of dust visible in a beam of light. In figurative use, a mote means a very small amount or trace of something.
- A tiny particle or speck, especially of dust.
- A very small amount or trace of something.
- A small point or dot of light.
"Dust motes drifted through the sunlight."
"Dust motes drifted through the sunlight."
"There was not a mote of doubt in her voice."
The plural is used for individual tiny particles, especially dust particles.
"Motes of dust glittered in the afternoon light."
A single dust mote can become visible when it crosses a beam of sunlight, turning an ordinary speck into a tiny floating point of light.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mote come from?
The noun comes from Old English mot, meaning a small particle or speck. Its historical relatives included words in other early Germanic languages, but it developed in English largely through the established sense of a tiny particle, especially a particle of dust. The modern figurative use developed from the idea of a quantity so small that it is scarcely perceptible.
Related word forms
How mote is actually used
The word is literary or poetic in modern use, though “a mote of dust” is also common in descriptive and scientific writing. Its figurative sense is formal and often appears in expressions such as “not a mote of evidence.”
Easily confused with mote
Mote is a tiny particle or speck; a motto is a brief saying or motto.