motto
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motto
- /ˈmɑ.toʊ/ US
- /ˈmɒ.təʊ/ UK
- /ˈmɒ.to/ Canada
Rhymes with (General American) -ɑtoʊ, (Received Pronunciation) -ɒtəʊ
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”), from Latin muttum (“a mutter, a grunt”), late 16th c. Doublet of mot.
noun mottos · mottoes
- A personal slogan. You have to be in it to win it — that's my motto.
-
A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
‘Gentlemen, I can tell you what the new queen will take as her motto. It is Bound to Obey and Serve.’
Similar: device
- 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. It was the motto of a bishop eminent for his piety and good works, ... Serve God, and be cheerful.
- A paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.
verb mottos · mottoing · mottoed
- To compose mottos. The singularity of his epigraphic strategy notwithstanding, Emerson does not draw attention to his own mottoing. One exchange suggests that his practice was a convention imposed from without.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: catchword, slogan, shibboleth, muff, umbrella, ride, motorcycle, bike, motorbike, flag, banner, lema, flagship, lines, inscription, leitmotiv
Translations
Every language
noun suggestive sentence, phrase or word
| Español | lema |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 표어 pyoeo |
| 日本語 | モットー mottō, 標語 hyōgo |
| 中文 | 格言 géyán, 座右銘 /座右铭 zuòyòumíng, 標語 /标语 biāoyǔ |
| Português | lema, mote |
| Français | devise |
| Deutsch | Motto |
| Русский | деви́з devíz |
noun sentence, phrase or word forming part of a heraldic achievement
| Español | mote, divisa, lema |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 좌우명 jwaumyeong, 모토 moto, 표어 pyoeo |
| 日本語 | モットー mottō, 座右の銘 zayūnomei, 標語 hyōgo |
| 中文 | 座右銘 /座右铭 zuòyòumíng |
| हिन्दी | ध्येयवाक्य dhyeyvākya, सिद्धांत siddhānt, नीतिवाक्य nītivākya |
| Português | lema, divisa, mote |
| Français | devise |
| Deutsch | Motto, Wahlspruch |
| Italiano | motto |
| Ελληνικά | ρητό ritó |
| Română | deviză |
| Русский | деви́з devíz |
| Tiếng Việt | tiêu ngữ |
| العربية | شِعَار šiʕār |
| עברית | מוֹטוֹ moto |
Talk about this word "motto." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/motto. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. motto. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/motto "motto." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/motto.Cite this
@misc{motto_2026,
title = {motto},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/motto},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
