motto
/ˈmɑ.toʊ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.72 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
noun
A paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.
Obsolete
Example Sentences
- "You have to be in it to win it — that's my motto."
- "‘Gentlemen, I can tell you what the new queen will take as her motto. It is Bound to Obey and Serve.’"
- "It was the motto of a bishop eminent for his piety and good works, ... Serve God, and be cheerful."
- "“[…] 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. […]”"
- "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."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: motto, muttum
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmɑ.toʊ/
- British English: /ˈmɒ.təʊ/