mot

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

mot, v. [See Must, v.].

 May; must; might.  [1913 Webster]
"He moot as well say one word as another"  [1913 Webster]
"The wordes mote be cousin to the deed."  [1913 Webster]
"Men moot [i.e., one only] give silver to the poore freres."  [1913 Webster]

So mote it be, so be it; amen; -- a phrase in some rituals, as that of the Freemasons.

mot, n. [F. See Motto.].

•  A word; hence, a motto; a device.  Bp. Hall.  [1913 Webster]

  "Tarquin's eye may read the mot afar."  [1913 Webster]
•  A pithy or witty saying; a witticism.  [1913 Webster]

  "Here and there turns up a . . . savage mot."  [1913 Webster]
•  A note or brief strain on a bugle.  Sir W. Scott.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

mot, abbr.
1 (in the UK) Ministry of Transport.
2 (in full MOT test) a compulsory annual test of motor vehicles of more than a specified age.

mot, n. (pl. mots pronunc. same) a witty saying.

Idiom

mot juste (pl. mots justes pronunc. same) the most appropriate expression.

Etymology

F, = word, ult. f. L muttum uttered sound f. muttire murmur

THESAURUS

mot

adage, ana, analects, aphorism, apothegm, axiom, bon mot, boutade, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea, byword, catchword, collected sayings, conceit, crack, current saying, dictate, dictum, distich, epigram, expression, facetiae, flash of wit, flight of wit, gibe, gnome, golden saying, happy thought, maxim, moral, motto, nasty crack, oracle, persiflage, phrase, pithy saying, play of wit, pleasantry, precept, prescript, proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, quip, quips and cranks, repartee, retort, riposte, sally, saw, saying, scintillation, sentence, sententious expression, sloka, smart crack, smart saying, snappy comeback, stock saying, stroke of wit, sutra, teaching, text, turn of thought, verse, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying, wisecrack, witticism, word, words of wisdom

ROGET THESAURUS

mot

Wit

N wit, humor, wittiness, sense of humor, attic wit, attic salt, atticism, salt, esprit, point, fancy, whim, drollery, pleasantry, farce, buffoonery, fooling, tomfoolery, shenanigan, harlequinade, broad farce, broad humor, fun, espieglerie, vis comica, jocularity, jocosity, jocoseness, facetiousness, waggery, waggishness, whimsicality, comicality, banter, badinage, retort, repartee, smartness, ready wit, quid- pro-quo, ridicule, jest, joke, jape, jibe, facetiae, levity, quips and cranks, capital joke, canorae nugae, standing jest, standing joke, private joke, conceit, quip, quirk, crank, quiddity, concetto, plaisanterie, brilliant idea, merry thought, bright thought, happy thought, sally, flash of wit, flash of merriment, scintillation, mot, mot pour rire, witticism, smart saying, bon-mot, jeu d'esprit, epigram, jest book, dry joke, quodlibet, cream of the jest, word-play, jeu de mots, play of words, play upon words, pun, punning, double entente, double entendre, quibble, verbal quibble, conundrum, anagram, acrostic, double acrostic, trifling, idle conceit, turlupinade, old joke, tired joke, flat joke, Joe Miller, witty, attic, quick-witted, nimble-witted, smart, jocular, jocose, humorous, facetious, waggish, whimsical, kidding, joking, puckish, playful, merry and wise, pleasant, sprightly, light, spirituel, sparkling, epigrammatic, full of point, ben trovato, comic, zany, madcap, funny, amusing, jokingly, in joke, in jest, in sport, in play, adhibenda est in jocando moderatio, gentle dullness ever loves a joke, leave this keen encounter of our wits, just joking, just kidding, surely you jest!.

Maxim

N maxim, aphorism, apothegm, apophthegm, dictum, saying, adage, saw, proverb, sentence, mot, motto, word, byword, moral, phylactery, protasis, axiom, theorem, scholium, truism, postulate, first principles, a priori fact, assumption (supposition), reflection, conclusion, golden rule, principle, principia, profession of faith, settled principle, accepted principle, formula, accepted fact, received truth, wise maxim, sage maxim, received maxim, admitted maxim, recognized maxim, true saying, common saying, hackneyed saying, trite saying, commonplace saying, aphoristic, proverbial, phylacteric, axiomatic, gnomic, as the saying goes, as the saying is, as they say.