motto

See also: Motto, mottó, and mòtto

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑ.toʊ/

Noun

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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Joseph Addison and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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

• See also Thesaurus:saying

Translations

sentence, phrase or word forming part of an heraldic achievement

• Afrikaans: leuse
• Arabic: شعار (ar) m (šiʿār)
• Armenian: նշանաբան (hy) (nšanaban)
• Azerbaijani: şüar (az)
• Basque: goiburu
• Belarusian: дэві́з m (devíz)
• Bengali: নীতিবাক্য (nitibakyô)
• Breton: sturienn m
• Bulgarian: деви́з (bg) m (devíz)
• Burmese: ဆောင်ပုဒ် (my) (hcaungpud)
• Catalan: divisa f, lema (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 座右銘／座右铭 (zh) (zuòyòumíng), 座右铭 (zh) (zuòyòumíng)

• Czech: motto (cs) n
• Danish: motto n
• Dutch: motto (nl) n, wapenspreuk (nl) m, (personal) lijfspreuk (nl) m
• Esperanto: moto (eo)
• Estonian: tunnuslause
• Finnish: motto (fi), tunnuslause (fi), vaalilause
• French: devise (fr) f
• Georgian: დევიზი (devizi)
• German: Motto (de) n, Wahlspruch m
• Greek: ρητό (el) n (ritó)
• Hebrew: מוֹטוֹ m (moto)
• Hindi: ध्येयवाक्य (dhyeyvākya), सिद्धांत (hi) m (siddhānt), नीतिवाक्य (nītivākya)
• Hungarian: mottó (hu)
• Icelandic: kjörorð (is) n
• Ido: moto (io)
• Indonesian: semboyan (id)
• Irish: mana (ga) m
• Italian: motto (it) m
• Japanese: モットー (mottō), 座右の銘 (ja) (ざゆうのめい, zayūnomei), 標語 (ja) (ひょうご, hyōgo)
• Kazakh: ұран (ūran)
• Korean: 좌우명 (jwaumyeong), 모토 (ko) (moto), 표어 (ko) (pyoeo)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kyrgyz: ураан (ky) (uraan)
• Lao: ຄຳຂວັນ (kham khwan)
• Latvian: devīze m
• Lithuanian: devizas m
• Macedonian: мото n (moto), гесло n (geslo)
• Malay: slogan, cogan kata, moto
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: motto (no) n

  Nynorsk: motto n

• Occitan: devisa f
• Persian: شعار (fa) (šo'âr)
• Polish: dewiza (pl) f, motto (pl) m
• Portuguese: lema (pt) m
• Romanian: deviză (ro) f
• Russian: деви́з (ru) m (devíz)
• Scottish Gaelic: facal-suaicheantais m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: деви́за f, мото m

  Roman: deviza (sh) f, moto (sh) m

• Slovak: motto n
• Slovene: moto n
• Spanish: mote (es) m, divisa (es) f (extends to figures), lema (es) m
• Swedish: motto (sv) n, valspråk (sv) n
• Tagalog: bansag, lema
• Tajik: шиор (šior)
• Tamil: குறிக்கோளுரை (kuṟikkōḷurai)
• Thai: คำขวัญ (th) (kam-kwǎn)
• Turkish: slogan (tr), motto (tr), şiar (tr)
• Turkmen: şygar
• Ukrainian: деві́з m (devíz), га́сло n (háslo)
• Uzbek: deviz (uz), shior (uz)
• Vietnamese: tiêu ngữ (vi)
• Welsh: arwyddair (cy) m
• West Frisian: biedwurd

suggestive sentence, phrase or word

• Armenian: նշանաբան (hy) (nšanaban), բնաբան (hy) (bnaban)
• Catalan: lema (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 格言 (zh) (géyán), 座右銘／座右铭 (zh) (zuòyòumíng), 座右铭 (zh) (zuòyòumíng)

• Czech: motto (cs) n
• Danish: motto n
• Dutch: motto (nl) n
• Finnish: motto (fi), tunnuslause (fi)
• French: devise (fr) f
• German: Motto (de) n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: mottó (hu)
• Japanese: モットー (mottō), 標語 (ja) (ひょうご, hyōgo)
• Polish: dewiza (pl) f
• Portuguese: lema (pt) m
• Russian: деви́з (ru) m (devíz)
• Scottish Gaelic: ceann-sgrìobhadh m
• Spanish: lema (es) m
• Swedish: motto (sv) n
• Tagalog: kasabihan
• Turkish: motto (tr)

Further reading

• motto (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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Czech

Alternative forms

• moto n (less common)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmoto]
• Rhymes: -oto

Noun

motto n

1. motto
2. epigraph

See also

• krédo

Further reading

• Template:R:PSJC
• Template:R:SSJC

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Danish

Noun

motto n (singular definite mottoet, plural indefinite mottoer)

1. motto

References

• “motto” in Den Danske Ordbog

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Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mot‧to

Noun

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

1. motto
2. (heraldry) motto

Hyponyms

• leus, leuze
• wapenspreuk

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Finnish

Noun

motto

1. A motto (sentence or a phrase with guiding principle).
2. (heraldry) A motto.

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
abessive		mototta	motoitta
instructive		—	motoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of motto (Kotus type 1*C/valo, tt-t gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mottoni mottoni accusative nom. mottoni mottoni gen. mottoni genitive mottoni mottojeni partitive mottoani mottojani inessive motossani motoissani elative motostani motoistani illative mottooni mottoihini adessive motollani motoillani ablative motoltani motoiltani allative motolleni motoilleni essive mottonani mottoinani translative motokseni motoikseni abessive motottani motoittani instructive — — comitative — mottoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mottosi mottosi accusative nom. mottosi mottosi gen. mottosi genitive mottosi mottojesi partitive mottoasi mottojasi inessive motossasi motoissasi elative motostasi motoistasi illative mottoosi mottoihisi adessive motollasi motoillasi ablative motoltasi motoiltasi allative motollesi motoillesi essive mottonasi mottoinasi translative motoksesi motoiksesi abessive motottasi motoittasi instructive — — comitative — mottoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mottomme mottomme accusative nom. mottomme mottomme gen. mottomme genitive mottomme mottojemme partitive mottoamme mottojamme inessive motossamme motoissamme elative motostamme motoistamme illative mottoomme mottoihimme adessive motollamme motoillamme ablative motoltamme motoiltamme allative motollemme motoillemme essive mottonamme mottoinamme translative motoksemme motoiksemme abessive motottamme motoittamme instructive — — comitative — mottoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mottonne mottonne accusative nom. mottonne mottonne gen. mottonne genitive mottonne mottojenne partitive mottoanne mottojanne inessive motossanne motoissanne elative motostanne motoistanne illative mottoonne mottoihinne adessive motollanne motoillanne ablative motoltanne motoiltanne allative motollenne motoillenne essive mottonanne mottoinanne translative motoksenne motoiksenne abessive motottanne motoittanne instructive — — comitative — mottoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative mottonsa mottonsa accusative nom. mottonsa mottonsa gen. mottonsa genitive mottonsa mottojensa partitive mottoaan mottoansa mottojaan mottojansa inessive motossaan motossansa motoissaan motoissansa elative motostaan motostansa motoistaan motoistansa illative mottoonsa mottoihinsa adessive motollaan motollansa motoillaan motoillansa ablative motoltaan motoltansa motoiltaan motoiltansa allative motolleen motollensa motoilleen motoillensa essive mottonaan mottonansa mottoinaan mottoinansa translative motokseen motoksensa motoikseen motoiksensa abessive motottaan motottansa motoittaan motoittansa instructive — — comitative — mottoineen mottoinensa

Synonyms

• tunnuslause
• vaalilause (in heraldry sense)

Anagrams

• motot

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Italian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔt.to/
• Rhymes: -ɔtto

Noun

motto m (plural motti)

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

Descendants

• → English: motto
• → German: Motto

Further reading

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

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Japanese

Romanization

motto

1. Rōmaji transcription of もっと

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Maquiritari

Noun

motto

1. worm

References

• Ed. Key, Mary Ritchie and Comrie, Bernard. The Intercontinental Dictionary Series, Carib (De'kwana).

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Nauruan

Noun

motto

1. motto

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Italian motto

Noun

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

1. a motto

References

• “motto” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian motto

Noun

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

1. a motto

References

• “motto” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

motto n

1. motto

Declension

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

Synonyms

• valspråk