motto
See also: Motto, mottó, and mòtto
English
Motto of Alabama
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”), from Latin muttum (“a mutter, a grunt”), late 16th c.. Doublet of mot.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈmɑt.oʊ/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈmɒtəʊ/
- Rhymes: (General American) -ɑtoʊ, (Received Pronunciation) -ɒtəʊ
Noun
motto (plural mottos or mottoes)
- (heraldry) A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
- 2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light, Fourth Estate, page 10:
- ‘Gentlemen, I can tell you what the new queen will take as her motto. It is Bound to Obey and Serve.’
-
- A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim.
- 1715 June 5 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 45. Wednesday, May 25. [1715.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, OCLC 1056445272:
- It was the motto of a bishop eminent for his piety and good works, ... Serve God, and be cheerful.
- 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
- “ […] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes like
Here's rattling good luck and roaring good cheer, / With lashings of food and great hogsheads of beer. […] ”
-
- (obsolete) A paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:saying
Translations
sentence, phrase or word forming part of an heraldic achievement
|
suggestive sentence, phrase or word
|
Further reading
motto (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Czech
Alternative forms
- moto n (less common)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈmoto]
- Rhymes: -oto
Noun
motto n
- motto
- epigraph
Declension
Declension of motto
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | motto | motta |
| genitive | motta | mott |
| dative | mottu | mottům |
| accusative | motto | motta |
| vocative | motto | motta |
| locative | mottu | mottech |
| instrumental | mottem | motty |
See also
- krédo
Further reading
- motto in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
- motto in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
Danish
Noun
motto n (singular definite mottoet, plural indefinite mottoer)
- motto
References
- “motto” in Den Danske Ordbog
Dutch
Etymology
From Italian motto (“a word, a saying”).
Pronunciation
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: mot‧to
Noun
motto n (plural motto's, diminutive mottootje n)
- motto
- (heraldry) motto
Hyponyms
- leus, leuze
- wapenspreuk
Finnish
Etymology
Ultimately from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmotːo/, [ˈmo̞t̪ːo̞]
- Rhymes: -otːo
- Syllabification(key): mot‧to
Noun
motto
- motto (sentence or a phrase with guiding principle)
- Synonym: tunnuslause
- epigraph (literary quotation placed at the beginning of a book or other text)
- Synonym: epigrafi
- (heraldry) motto
- Synonyms: tunnuslause, vaalilause
Declension
| Inflection of motto (Kotus type 1*C/valo, tt-t gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | motto | motot | |
| genitive | moton | mottojen | |
| partitive | mottoa | mottoja | |
| illative | mottoon | mottoihin | |
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | motto | motot | |
| accusative | nom. | motto | motot |
| gen. | moton | ||
| genitive | moton | mottojen | |
| partitive | mottoa | mottoja | |
| inessive | motossa | motoissa | |
| elative | motosta | motoista | |
| illative | mottoon | mottoihin | |
| adessive | motolla | motoilla | |
| ablative | motolta | motoilta | |
| allative | motolle | motoille | |
| essive | mottona | mottoina | |
| translative | motoksi | motoiksi | |
| instructive | — | motoin | |
| abessive | mototta | motoitta | |
| comitative | — | mottoineen | |
| Possessive forms of motto (type valo) | ||
|---|---|---|
| possessor | singular | plural |
| 1st person | mottoni | mottomme |
| 2nd person | mottosi | mottonne |
| 3rd person | mottonsa | |
Anagrams
- motot
Italian
Etymology
From Latin muttum (“mutter”). Compare Catalan and French mot (“word”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmɔt.to/
- Rhymes: -ɔtto
- Hyphenation: mòt‧to
Noun
motto m (plural motti)
- witty remark
- motto, maxim
- posy (motto inscribed inside a ring)
- (Gallicism) word
Descendants
- → English: motto
- → German: Motto
Further reading
- motto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Japanese
Romanization
motto
- Rōmaji transcription of もっと
Maquiritari
Alternative forms
- (Ye'kwana) mottoo
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [motto]
Noun
motto
- a kind of long earthworm or caecilian used as a sacred food during major life events and at the end of any fast
Related terms
- muttu
References
- Cáceres, Natalia (2011), “mottoo”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana, Lyon
- Hall, Katherine Lee (1988), “motto”, in The morphosyntax of discourse in De'kwana Carib, volume I and II, Saint Louis, Missouri: PhD Thesis, Washington University
- Hall, Katherine (2007), “motto”, in Mary Ritchie Key & Bernard Comrie, editors, The Intercontinental Dictionary Series, Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, published 2021
- Guss, David M. (1989) To Weave and Sing: Art, Symbol, and Narrative in the South American Rain Forest, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 30, 133
- Monterrey, Nalúa Rosa Silva (2012) Hombres de curiara y mujeres de conuco. Etnografía de los indigenas Ye’kwana de Venezuela, Ciudad Bolívar: Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana, page 36
Nauruan
Noun
motto
- motto
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Italian motto.
Noun
motto n (definite singular mottoet, indefinite plural motto or mottoer, definite plural mottoa or mottoene)
- a motto
References
- “motto” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Italian motto.
Noun
motto n (definite singular mottoet, indefinite plural motto, definite plural mottoa)
- a motto
References
- “motto” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian motto, from Latin muttum.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmɔt.tɔ/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔttɔ
- Syllabification: mot‧to
Noun
motto n
- philosophy, motto, watchword, byword
- Synonyms: dewiza, credo
- (literature) epigraph (literary quotation placed at the beginning of a text)
- Synonym: epigraf
Declension
Declension of motto
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | motto | motta |
| genitive | motta | mott |
| dative | mottu | mottom |
| accusative | motto | motta |
| instrumental | mottem | mottami |
| locative | motcie | mottach |
| vocative | motto | motta |
Further reading
- motto in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- motto in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romanian
Etymology
From Italian motto or German Motto.
Noun
motto n (plural mottouri)
- motto
Declension
Declension of motto
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) motto | mottoul | (niște) mottouri | mottourile |
| genitive/dative | (unui) motto | mottoului | (unor) mottouri | mottourilor |
| vocative | mottoule | mottourilor | ||
Swedish
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Noun
motto n
- motto
Declension
| Declension of motto | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | motto | mottot | motton | mottona |
| Genitive | mottos | mottots | mottons | mottonas |
Synonyms
- valspråk