Where does “mote” come from?

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

mote (Portuguese): motto

Definitions

motto

Ancestry of “mote”, step by step

mote traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French mot

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	French	mot	word; note, message
2	Middle French	mot	word
3	Old French	mot	word; Alternative form of molt
4	Medieval Latin	mota	a mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of...
5	Frankish	*mot	—
6	Proto-Germanic	*motta	—
7	Proto-Germanic	mutô	—
8	Proto-Indo-European	(s)mut-	dark, dirty

via Old Occitan mot

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Old Occitan	mot	much; alot; word
2	Latin	multus	much; many
3	Proto-Italic	moltos	much, many
4	Proto-Indo-European	ml̥tós	crumbled, crumpled
5	Proto-Indo-European	mel-	soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
6	Proto-Indo-European	mey-	to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- →Every word from Proto-Germanic mutô →Every word from Proto-Germanic *motta →