rhizoverbBeta
DictionarymoteTiny speck
noun

mote

MOHT/məʊt/

A tiny speck of dust or other matter.

Dust motes float in a shaft of sunlight.

A few tiny, irregular dust motes suspended in a narrow shaft of sunlight beside a window, visible against a small shaded patch of the window recess.
Etymology
moteOld Englishsmall particle

Old English mot already meant a small particle, preserving the image of dust visible in a sunbeam. Its deeper origin is unknown.

In context

Pepaa Products1:28
lived there on the mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam the earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena
Pale Blue Dot [Animation] | Original Script and Voiceover by Carl Sagan | Planet Earth

More examples

  • Tiny motes drifted through the beam.
  • She brushed a mote from the lens.
  • The microscope revealed motes suspended in the liquid.

Forms

mote · motes

Similar words

speck
Both mean a tiny particle; mote is more literary and often refers to dust.
grain
A grain can be a small solid particle; mote emphasizes extreme smallness.