English Explanatory Dictionary

jot

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The smallest letter or stroke of any writing; an iota.
  2. A small, or the smallest, amount of a thing; a bit, a whit.
  3. An instant, a moment.
  4. A brief and hurriedly written note.
verb
  1. Chiefly followed by down: to write (something) quickly; to make a brief note of (something).
verb
  1. To jerk or jolt (something); to jog.
noun
  1. A jerk, a jolt.

Pronunciation

/d͡ʒɒt/ [d͡ʒɔʔ] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-jot.wav /d͡ʒɑt/

Word forms

jot jots jotting jotted

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Latin iōta (“the letter iota of the Ancient Greek alphabet”), from Ancient Greek ἰῶτα (iôta, “ninth letter of the Ancient Greek alphabet; (figurative) very small part of writing, jot”), from Phoenician 𐤉 (y‬, “tenth letter of the Phoenician abjad, yodh”). Doublet of iota and yodh. Etymology 1, noun sense 3 (“brief and hurriedly written note”) is derived from the verb. The verb is probably borrowed from Scots jot, from English jot (noun): see above.

Synonyms

ace atom atomy aught bissel bit crumb glimpse dab damn dash diddly glint dot spatter drop dusting fleck glimmer hint flip flyspeck grain halfpennyworth inch iota jot lick mite modicum molecule morceau morsel mote ooch ounce particle pennyworth piece pinch relish scantling semblance scent scintilla scooch scrap scruple shred skerrick skoosh skosh sliver smattering smidge smidgen smidget smidgy smitch smithereen

Related words

tittle

Derived words

jot and tittle jot down jotter jotting jotty jolt
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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