Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “motto” come from?

Motto comes from Italian motto, from Latin muttum, meaning a muttered sound or grunt.

motto (English): A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an...

Definitions

  1. A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an...

Ancestry of “motto”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianmottowitty remark; motto, maxim; posy
2LatinmuttumA mutter, a grunt
3Latinmuttirepresent active infinitive of muttiō; mutter, make...

Words derived from “motto”

  • mottoed
  • 모토
Every word from Latin muttire →