jot and tittle
/ˌdʒɑt n̩ ˈtɪt(ə)l/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.38 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Often preceded by every: a smallest detail; (uncountable) the smallest details collectively.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "He did not get every jot and tittle, but the plan ultimately adopted was viable."
- "If thou wilt be ſaved by the Law, it is not thy endeavour or doing; what lieth in thee that will ſerve the turn; every jot and tittle that the Law requires, muſt be fulfilled."
- "Then he gave me a Book of Jeſus his inditing, to incourage me the more freely to come: And he ſaid concerning that Book, That every jot and tittle thereof ſtood firmer then Heaven and earth."
- "They deſire indeed to be exact in every Jot and Tittle, in the very ſmallest Points of Chriſtian Practice. But they are not attached to one Point more than another; they aim at uniform, univerſal Obedience."
- "O all ye twelve Holy Fathers of our tribe! what a losing venture is this for one who hath duly kept every jot and tittle of the law of Moses.—Fifty zecchins wrenched from me at one clutch, and by the talons of a tyrant!"
- "Firm as the lasting hills, / This cov'nant shall endure, / Whose potent shalls and wills / Make ev'ry blessing sure: / When ruin shakes all nature's frame, / Its jots and tittles stand the same."
Etymology
A reference to Matthew 5:18 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle, shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The Koine Greek phrase is ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία (iôta hèn ḕ mía keraía). Jot (“the smallest letter or stroke of any writing, iota”) is derived from Middle English jote (“jot, tittle, whit”), from Latin iōta (“the Greek letter iota (Ι, ι)”), from Ancient Greek ἰῶτα (iôta, “the letter Ι, ι, the smallest in the alphabet; (figurative) a very small part of writing, jot”), from Phoenician 𐤉 (y /yōd/). Tittle (“small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark; (figurative) small, insignificant amount, modicum, speck”) is derived from Middle English title (“small written mark or stroke; smallest part”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman title, tittle [and other forms], and Middle French titele, title (“inscription”) (modern French titre), and from their etymon Latin titulus (“epitaph, inscription”); further etymology uncertain, but thought to be of Etruscan origin.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌdʒɑt n̩ ˈtɪt(ə)l/
- British English: /ˌdʒɒt n̩ ˈtɪtl̩/