mote1

[moht] /moʊt/
noun
1.
a small particle or speck, especially of dust.
2.
moit.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English, Old English mot speck; cognate with Dutch mot grit, sawdust, Norwegian mutt speck
Related forms
motey, adjective

mote2

[moht] /moʊt/
verb, past moste
[mohst] /moʊst/ (Show IPA). Archaic.
1.
may or might.
Origin
before 900; Middle English mot(e), Old English mōt; cognate with German muss. See must1
Examples from the web for mote
  • When a mote wakes up, the preamble will still be transmitting, signaling the listener to stay alert for an upcoming message.
  • Though a mote in the dustheap of society, he is no derelict.
  • Everyone you know is in that picture, on that tiny mote of light.
British Dictionary definitions for mote

mote1

/məʊt/
noun
1.
a tiny speck
Word Origin
Old English mot; compare Middle Dutch mot grit, Norwegian mutt speck

mote2

/məʊt/
verb (past) moste (məʊst)
1.
(takes an infinitive without to) (archaic) may or might
Word Origin
Old English mōt, first person singular present tense of mōtan to be allowed
Word Origin and History for mote
n.

"particle of dust," Old English mot, of unknown origin; perhaps related to Dutch mot "dust from turf, sawdust, grit," Norwegian mutt "speck, mote, splinter, chip." Many references are to Matt. vii:3.

mote in the Bible

(Gr. karphos, something dry, hence a particle of wood or chaff, etc.). A slight moral defect is likened to a mote (Matt. 7:3-5; Luke 6:41, 42).