Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

jot

/d͡ʒɒt/ noun

Latin root: iōta Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about jot at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The smallest letter or stroke of any writing; an iota.
A small, or the smallest, amount of a thing; a bit, a whit.
He didn’t care a jot for his work.
An instant, a moment.

verb

Chiefly followed by down: to write (something) quickly; to make a brief note of (something).
Tell me your order so I can jot it down.

verb

To jerk or jolt (something); to jog.

noun

A jerk, a jolt.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word