English Explanatory Dictionary

motto

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A personal slogan.
  2. A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
  3. 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.
  4. A paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.
verb
  1. To compose mottos.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɑ.toʊ/ /ˈmɒ.təʊ/ /ˈmɒ.to/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-motto.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-motto.wav

Word forms

motto mottos mottoes mottoing mottoed

Etymology

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

Synonyms

device

Derived words

mottoless mottolike mottoware

Translations

Armenian: նշանաբան Armenian: բնաբան Bulgarian: мо́то Catalan: lema Chinese Mandarin: 格言 Chinese Mandarin: 座右銘 /座右铭 Chinese Mandarin: 標語 /标语 Czech: motto Danish: motto Dutch: motto Finnish: motto Finnish: tunnuslause French: devise German: Motto Hungarian: mottó Japanese: モットー Japanese: 標語 Korean: 표어 Polish: dewiza Polish: motto Portuguese: lema Portuguese: mote Russian: деви́з Scottish Gaelic: ceann-sgrìobhadh Spanish: lema Swedish: motto Tagalog: kasabihan Thai: คำขวัญ Thai: คติ Thai: คติพจน์ Turkish: motto Ukrainian: деві́з
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