jot en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- [d͡ʒɔʔ] (Multicultural-London-English)
- /d͡ʒɒt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /d͡ʒɑt/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Latin iōta (“the letter iota of the Ancient Greek alphabet”), from Ancient Greek ἰῶτα (iôta, “ninth letter of the Ancient Greek alphabet; (figurative) very small part of writing, jot”), from Phoenician 𐤉 (y, “tenth letter of the Phoenician abjad, yodh”). Doublet of iota and yodh. Etymology 1, noun sense 3 (“brief and hurriedly written note”) is derived from the verb. The verb is probably borrowed from Scots jot, from English jot (noun): see above.
Meanings
-
The smallest letter or stroke of any writing; an iota.
Of old, men said, "Sin not; / By every line and jot / Ye shall abide; man's heart is false and vile."
1904, Bliss Carman, “Christmas Eve at St. Kavin’s”, in Songs from a Northern Garden (Pipes of Pan; no. 4), Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page & Company, →OCLC, page 107:For verily I ſay vnto you, Till heauen and earth paſſe, one iote or one tittle, ſhall in no wiſe paſſe from the law, till all be fulfilled.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 5:18, column 1:This bond doth giue thee here no iote of blood, / The vvords expreſly are a pound of fleſh: / Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of fleſh, / But in the cutting of it, if thou doſt ſhed / One drop of Chriſtian blood, thy lands and goods / Are by the lavves of Venice, confiſcate / Vnto the State of Venice.
c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], signature [H4], verso:
-
(broadly, in the negative) A small, or the smallest, amount of a thing; a bit, a whit.
After this I ſpent a great deal of Time and Pains to make me an Umbrella; I vvas indeed in great vvant of one, and had a great mind to make one; I had ſeen them made in the Braſils, vvhere they are very uſeful in the great Heats vvhich are there: And I felt the Heats every jot as great here, and greater too, being nearer the Equinox; […]
1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 159:[T]hough Richard [III] vvas purſued and killed as a uſurper, the Solomon that ſucceeded him [Henry VII of England], vvas not a jot leſs a tyrant.
1768, Horace Walpole, “The Murder of His Brother Clarence”, in Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third, London: […] J[ames] Dodsley […], →OCLC, page 31:"If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside," cried Bingley, "it would not make them one jot less agreeable."
1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter VIII, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 79:Sir, the People muſt haue their Voiyes, / Neyther vvill they bate / One iot of Ceremonie.
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 11, column 2:Up to that point, Tottenham had not had a shot on target. They were not to have another. It didn't matter a jot.
2025 May 21, Simon Stone, “Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester United”, in BBC Sport:What does that matter? Arsenic would put poor Emily out of the way just as well as strychnine. If I'm convinced he did it, it doesn't matter a jot to me how he did it.
1920 October, Agatha Christie, “Fresh Suspicions”, in The Mysterious Affair at Styles […], New York, N.Y.; London: Grosset & Dunlap, published March 1927, pages 182–183:He didn’t care a jot for his work.
For mark you, Tavy, the artist’s work is to show us ourselves as we really are. Our minds are nothing but this knowledge of ourselves; and he who adds a jot to such knowledge creates new mind as surely as any woman creates new men.
1901–1903, [George] Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman. […], Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable & Co., published 1903, →OCLC, Act I, page 23:
-
(broadly, in the negative, obsolete) A small, or the smallest, amount of a thing; a bit, a whit. ▸ An instant, a moment.
So vveake my povvres, ſo ſore my vvounds appeare, / that vvonder is hovv I ſhould liue a iot, / ſeeing my hart through launched euery vvhere / vvith thouſand arrovves, vvhich your eies haue ſhot: […]
1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “[Amoretti.] Sonnet LVII”, in Amoretti and Epithalamion. […], London: […] [Peter Short] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, signature [D6], recto:No faith, Ile not ſtay a iot longer: […]
c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 266, column 1:Making my Death familiar to my Tongue / Digs not my Grave one Jot before the Date.
1727 December 24 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Lew[is] Theobald, W[illiam] Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], Double Falshood; or, The Distrest Lovers. […], London: […] J. Watts, […], published 1728, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 1:
-
A brief and hurriedly written note.
"Lover," you say; "how beautiful that is, / That little word!” […] / Yes, it is beautiful. I have marked it long, / Long in my dusty head its jot secreted, / Yet my heart never knew this word a song / Till in the night softly by you repeated.
1920, Robert Nichols, “Sonnets to Aurelia [Sonnet IV]”, in Aurelia & Other Poems, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 29:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| jots | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
inch · scent · ooch · crumb · bit · scintilla · dot · tinge · smitch · glimpse · ace · trifle · sliver · bat of an eye · flyspeck · continental · crumb · minute · no time · smattering · atomy · twinkle · skoosh · smidgen · ounce · moment · jot · smithereen · tidge · trace · dusting · lick · mite · modicum · glimpse · vestige · piece · jiff · New York second · atom · tittle · flip · bissel · piece · soupçon · scooch · scintilla · tick · trifle · touch · scantling · half a mo · skosh · tad · damn · mo · dot · spatter · dab · sec · thought · hint · mite · smitch · skerrick · flyspeck · pinch · scrap · eyeblink · scruple · bit · continental · mo · strain · crack · twink · mote · sliver · ace · dab · molecule · smidget · speck · bissel · smattering · split-second · twinkling · fleck · glimmer · spot · skerrick · pennyworth · vestige · morceau · halfpennyworth · hoot · scantling · instant · dash · smidge · smidgen · soupçon · tad · smithereen · halfpennyworth · particle · sec · span · jot · spurt · particle · spatter · sprinkling · strain · smidgy · spark · scrap · hint · diddly · spot · toddick · scooch · tidbit · sprinkle · speckle · blink of an eye · glimmer · trice · speckle · shred · molecule · aught · drop · pinch · hooter · inch · sprinkling · flash · fleck · grain · speck · skosh · atom · whiff · touch · scent · diddly · while · sprinkle · shred · tuppence worth · bit · jiffy · skoosh · aught · whit · New York minute · dusting · relish · glint · tittle · jiff · smidge · atomy · damn · semblance · morceau · stound · thought · trace · ooch · tidbit · pennyworth · glint · hoot · semblance · smidgy · tuppence worth · scruple · morsel · relish · drop · toddick · glimpse · smidget · iota · modicum · spark · flip · second · hooter · whiff · dash · morsel · tidge · jot · iota · lick · mote · grain · tinge · ounce · whit
Translations (29)
it punto (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · bg йота (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · io iota (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · ota پارچه (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · ja わずか (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · is punktur (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · vi tí tẹo (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · vi tí teo (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · th จด (brief and hurriedly written note) · ka იოტა (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · el γιώτα (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · pl jota (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · fi tuherrus (brief and hurriedly written note) · cmn 少量的 (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · is angarögn (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · pl jot (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · mk јо́та (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · grc ἰῶτα (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · eo joto (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · ga ruainne (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · es jota (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · vi chút (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · fi hitunen (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · ru йо́та (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · es pizca (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · fi hiven (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · ota آوج (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · he קוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוֹד (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota) · is depill (smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota)