# motto
## English
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”), from Latin muttum (“a mutter, a grunt”), late 16th c.. Doublet of mot.

### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /ˈmɑ.toʊ/
* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈmɒ.təʊ/
* (Canada) IPA: /ˈmɒ.to/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: (General American) -ɑtoʊ, (Received Pronunciation) -ɒtəʊ

### Noun

motto (plural mottos or mottoes)
* A personal slogan.
    You have to be in it to win it — that's my motto.
* (heraldry) A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
** 2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light, Fourth Estate, page 10:‘Gentlemen, I can tell you what the new queen will take as her motto. It is Bound to Obey and Serve.’
* A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim.
** 1715 June 5 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 45. Wednesday, May 25. [1715.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC:It was the motto of a bishop eminent for his piety and good works, ... Serve God, and be cheerful.
** 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:“ […] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes like Here's rattling good luck and roaring good cheer, / With lashings of food and great hogsheads of beer. […] ”
* (obsolete) A paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.

#### Synonyms

* See also Thesaurus:saying

#### Translations
### Verb

motto (third-person singular simple present mottos, present participle mottoing, simple past and past participle mottoed)
* (intransitive) To compose mottos.
** 2003, Nineteenth Century Prose, volume 30, page 304:The singularity of his epigraphic strategy notwithstanding, Emerson does not draw attention to his own mottoing. One exchange suggests that his practice was a convention imposed from without.

### Further reading

* motto (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## Czech
### Alternative forms

* moto n (less common)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈmoto]
* Rhymes: -oto

### Noun

motto n
* motto
* epigraph

#### See also

* krédo

### Further reading

* “motto”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “motto”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

## Danish
### Noun

motto n (singular definite mottoet, plural indefinite mottoer)
* motto

### References

* “motto” in Den Danske Ordbog

## Dutch
### Etymology

From Italian motto (“a word, a saying”).

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: mot‧to

### Noun

motto n (plural motto's, diminutive mottootje n)
* motto
* (heraldry) motto

#### Hyponyms

* leus, leuze
* wapenspreuk

## Finnish
### Etymology

Ultimately from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmotːo/, [ˈmo̞t̪ːo̞]
* Rhymes: -otːo
* Hyphenation: mot‧to

### Noun

motto
* motto (sentence or a phrase with guiding principle)
    Synonym: tunnuslause
* epigraph (literary quotation placed at the beginning of a book or other text)
    Synonym: epigrafi
* (heraldry) motto
    Synonyms: tunnuslause, vaalilause

#### Declension

Possessive forms of motto (Kotus type 1*C/valo, tt-t gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
mottoni
mottoni
accusative
nom.
mottoni
mottoni
gen.
mottoni
genitive
mottoni
mottojeni
partitive
mottoani
mottojani
inessive
motossani
motoissani
elative
motostani
motoistani
illative
mottooni
mottoihini
adessive
motollani
motoillani
ablative
motoltani
motoiltani
allative
motolleni
motoilleni
essive
mottonani
mottoinani
translative
motokseni
motoikseni
abessive
motottani
motoittani
instructive
comitative
—mottoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
mottosi
mottosi
accusative
nom.
mottosi
mottosi
gen.
mottosi
genitive
mottosi
mottojesi
partitive
mottoasi
mottojasi
inessive
motossasi
motoissasi
elative
motostasi
motoistasi
illative
mottoosi
mottoihisi
adessive
motollasi
motoillasi
ablative
motoltasi
motoiltasi
allative
motollesi
motoillesi
essive
mottonasi
mottoinasi
translative
motoksesi
motoiksesi
abessive
motottasi
motoittasi
instructive
comitative
—mottoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
mottomme
mottomme
accusative
nom.
mottomme
mottomme
gen.
mottomme
genitive
mottomme
mottojemme
partitive
mottoamme
mottojamme
inessive
motossamme
motoissamme
elative
motostamme
motoistamme
illative
mottoomme
mottoihimme
adessive
motollamme
motoillamme
ablative
motoltamme
motoiltamme
allative
motollemme
motoillemme
essive
mottonamme
mottoinamme
translative
motoksemme
motoiksemme
abessive
motottamme
motoittamme
instructive
comitative
—mottoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
mottonne
mottonne
accusative
nom.
mottonne
mottonne
gen.
mottonne
genitive
mottonne
mottojenne
partitive
mottoanne
mottojanne
inessive
motossanne
motoissanne
elative
motostanne
motoistanne
illative
mottoonne
mottoihinne
adessive
motollanne
motoillanne
ablative
motoltanne
motoiltanne
allative
motollenne
motoillenne
essive
mottonanne
mottoinanne
translative
motoksenne
motoiksenne
abessive
motottanne
motoittanne
instructive
comitative
—mottoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
mottonsa
mottonsa
accusative
nom.
mottonsa
mottonsa
gen.
mottonsa
genitive
mottonsa
mottojensa
partitive
mottoaan mottoansa
mottojaan mottojansa
inessive
motossaan motossansa
motoissaan motoissansa
elative
motostaan motostansa
motoistaan motoistansa
illative
mottoonsa
mottoihinsa
adessive
motollaan motollansa
motoillaan motoillansa
ablative
motoltaan motoltansa
motoiltaan motoiltansa
allative
motolleen motollensa
motoilleen motoillensa
essive
mottonaan mottonansa
mottoinaan mottoinansa
translative
motokseen motoksensa
motoikseen motoiksensa
abessive
motottaan motottansa
motoittaan motoittansa
instructive
comitative
—mottoineen mottoinensa :

#### Derived terms

* mottolause

### Further reading

* “motto”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

### Anagrams

* motot

## Italian
### Etymology

From Latin muttum (“mutter”). Compare Catalan and French mot (“word”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmɔt.to/
* Rhymes: -ɔtto
* Hyphenation: mòt‧to

### Noun

motto m (plural motti)
* witty remark
* motto, maxim
* posy (motto inscribed inside a ring)
* (Gallicism) word

#### Descendants

* → English: motto
* → German: Motto

### Further reading

* motto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

## Japanese
### Romanization

motto
* Rōmaji transcription of もっと

## Nauruan
### Noun

motto
* motto

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From Italian motto.

### Noun

motto n (definite singular mottoet, indefinite plural motto or mottoer, definite plural mottoa or mottoene)
* a motto

### References

* “motto” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

From Italian motto.

### Noun

motto n (definite singular mottoet, indefinite plural motto, definite plural mottoa)
* a motto

### References

* “motto” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Polish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian motto, from Latin muttum.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmɔt.tɔ/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɔttɔ
* Syllabification: mot‧to

### Noun

motto n
* philosophy, motto, watchword, byword
    Synonyms: dewiza, credo
* (literature) epigraph (literary quotation placed at the beginning of a text)
    Synonym: epigraf

#### Declension
### Further reading

* motto in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* motto in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian motto or German Motto.

### Noun

motto n (plural mottouri)
* motto

#### Declension
## Slovak
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈmɔtɔ]

### Noun

motto n
* motto

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “motto”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

## Swedish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian motto, from Late Latin muttum.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

motto n
* a motto

#### See also

* valspråk

### References

* motto in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* motto in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* motto in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
* motto in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

## Ye'kwana
### Alternative forms

* mottoo (Caura River dialect)
* moto (Cunucunuma River dialect and Brazil)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [motto]

### Noun

motto
* a kind of long earthworm or caecilian used as a sacred food during major life events and at the end of any fast, and also for fishing

#### Related terms

* muttu

### References

* Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “mottoo”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎, Lyon
* Costa, Isabella Coutinho, Silva, Marcelo Costa da, Rodrigues, Edmilson Magalhães (2021) “moto”, in Portal Japiim: Dicionário Ye'kwana‎, Museu do Índio/FUNAI
* Hall, Katherine Lee (1988) The morphosyntax of discourse in De'kwana Carib, volumes I and II, Saint Louis, Missouri: PhD Thesis, Washington University, pages 217, 394: “moto 'earthworm' […] motto - earth worm”
* Hall, Katherine (2007) “motto”, in Mary Ritchie Key & Bernard Comrie, editors, The Intercontinental Dictionary Series‎, Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, published 2021
* Guss, David M. (1989) To Weave and Sing: Art, Symbol, and Narrative in the South American Rain Forest, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, →ISBN, pages 30, 133: “motto”
* Monterrey, Nalúa Rosa Silva (2012) Hombres de curiara y mujeres de conuco. Etnografía de los indigenas Ye’kwana de Venezuela, Ciudad Bolívar: Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana, page 36: “motto”