Where does “moteless” come from?
moteless (English) comes from English mote, from English motte, from French motte, from Old French mote, from Medieval Latin mota, from Frankish *mot, from Proto-Germanic *motta, from Proto-Germanic mutô — dark, dirty.
moteless (English): Free from motes
Definitions
- Free from motes
Ancestry of “moteless”, step by step
moteless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mote
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mote | A small particle; a speck; May or might; Must |
| 2 | English | motte | A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden... |
| 3 | French | motte | motte; clod, lump of earth; block |
| 4 | Old French | mote | mound, embankment |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | mota | a mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of... |
| 6 | Frankish | *mot | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *motta | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | mutô | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mut- | dark, dirty |