Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “motte” come from?

motte (French) comes from Old French mote, from Medieval Latin mota, from Frankish *mot, from Proto-Germanic *motta, from Proto-Germanic mutô, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- — dark, dirty.

motte (French): motte; clod, lump of earth; block

Definitions

  1. motte; clod, lump of earth; block

Ancestry of “motte”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmotemound, embankment
2Medieval Latinmotaa mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of...
3Frankish*mot—
4Proto-Germanic*motta—
5Proto-Germanicmutô—
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mut-dark, dirty

Words derived from “motte”

  • motte
  • mott
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- →