motto

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See also: Motto, mottó, and mòtto

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
Motto of Alabama

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”), from Latin muttum (“a mutter, a grunt”), late 16th c.. Doublet of mot.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto (plural mottos or mottoes)

  1. (heraldry) A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
  2. 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[1]:
      “ […] 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. […] ”
  3. (obsolete) A paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.

Synonyms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Czech[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • moto n (less common)

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto n

  1. motto
  2. epigraph

Declension[edit]

Declension
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[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • motto in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • motto in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto n (singular definite mottoet, plural indefinite mottoer)

  1. motto

References[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology[edit]

From Italian motto (“a word, a saying”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: mot‧to

Noun[edit]

motto n (plural motto's, diminutive mottootje n)

  1. motto
  2. (heraldry) motto

Hyponyms[edit]

Finnish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Ultimately from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈmotːo/, [ˈmo̞t̪ːo̞]
  • Rhymes: -otːo
  • Syllabification(key): mot‧to

Noun[edit]

motto

  1. motto (sentence or a phrase with guiding principle)
    Synonym: tunnuslause
  2. epigraph (literary quotation placed at the beginning of a book or other text)
    Synonym: epigrafi
  3. (heraldry) motto
    Synonyms: tunnuslause, vaalilause

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin muttum (“mutter”). Compare Catalan and French mot (“word”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto m (plural motti)

  1. witty remark
  2. motto, maxim
  3. posy (motto inscribed inside a ring)
  4. (Gallicism) word

Descendants[edit]

  • → English: motto
  • → German: Motto

Further reading[edit]

  • motto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Japanese[edit]

Romanization[edit]

motto

  1. Rōmaji transcription of もっと

Maquiritari[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto

  1. 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[edit]

References[edit]

  • 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[2], 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[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto

  1. motto

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology[edit]

From Italian motto.

Noun[edit]

motto n (definite singular mottoet, indefinite plural motto or mottoer, definite plural mottoa or mottoene)

  1. a motto

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology[edit]

From Italian motto.

Noun[edit]

motto n (definite singular mottoet, indefinite plural motto, definite plural mottoa)

  1. a motto

References[edit]

Polish[edit]

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Italian motto, from Latin muttum.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto n

  1. philosophy, motto, watchword, byword
    Synonyms: dewiza, credo
  2. (literature) epigraph (literary quotation placed at the beginning of a text)
    Synonym: epigraf

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

  • motto in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • motto in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Italian motto or German Motto.

Noun[edit]

motto n (plural mottouri)

  1. motto

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

motto n

  1. motto

Declension[edit]

Declension of motto 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative motto mottot motton mottona
Genitive mottos mottots mottons mottonas

Synonyms[edit]

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