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| mot·to [ móttō ] (plural mot·toes or mot·tos) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. rule to live by: a short saying that expresses a rule to live by
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2. heraldry saying on coat of arms: a short saying that forms part of a coat of arms and expresses something about the family or place whose coat of arms it is
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3. literature quotation at beginning of writing: a short quotation at the beginning of a piece of writing such as a book, a chapter of a book, or a poem, related in some way to its contents
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4. music Same as motif (sense 4)
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| [Late 16th century. < Italian, probably < assumed Vulgar Latin, "word"] |