Where does “mote” come from?

mote (Middle English) 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.

mote (Middle English): A natural or man-made mound; hill

Definitions

  1. A natural or man-made mound; hill

Ancestry of “mote”, 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 “mote”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- →Every word from Proto-Germanic mutô →Every word from Proto-Germanic *motta →
mote — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer