[Obs.]
Mote
(Mote), n. The flourish sounded on a horn by a huntsman. See Mot, n., 3, and Mort. Chaucer.
Mote
(Mote), n. [OE. mot, AS. mot.] A small particle, as of floating dust; anything proverbially small; a
speck.
The little motes in the sun do ever stir, though there be no wind.
Bacon.
We are motes in the midst of generations.
Landor. Moted
(Mot"ed) a. Filled with motes, or fine floating dust; as, the air. "Moted sunbeams." Tennyson.
Motet
(Mo*tet") n. [F., a dim. of mot word; cf. It. mottetto, dim. of motto word, device. See Mot,
Motto.] (Mus.) A composition adapted to sacred words in the elaborate polyphonic church style; an
anthem.
Moth
(Moth) n. A mote. [Obs.] Shak.
Moth
(Moth), n.; pl. Moths [OE. mothe, AS. moððe; akin to D. mot, G. motte, Icel. motti, and prob. to
E. mad an earthworm. Cf. Mad, n., Mawk.]
1. (Zoöl.) Any nocturnal lepidopterous insect, or any not included among the butterflies; as, the luna
moth; Io moth; hawk moth.
2. (Zoöl.) Any lepidopterous insect that feeds upon garments, grain, etc.; as, the clothes moth; grain
moth; bee moth. See these terms under Clothes, Grain, etc.
3. (Zoöl.) Any one of various other insects that destroy woolen and fur goods, etc., esp. the larvæ of
several species of beetles of the genera Dermestes and Anthrenus. Carpet moths are often the larvæ
of Anthrenus. See Carpet beetle, under Carpet, Dermestes, Anthrenus.
4. Anything which gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes any other thing.
Moth blight (Zoöl.), any plant louse of the genus Aleurodes, and related genera. They are injurious to
various plants. — Moth gnat (Zoöl.), a dipterous insect of the genus Bychoda, having fringed wings.
— Moth hunter (Zoöl.), the goatsucker. — Moth miller (Zoöl.), a clothes moth. See Miller, 3, (a).
— Moth mullein (Bot.), a common herb of the genus Verbascum having large wheel-shaped yellow
or whitish flowers.
Moth-eat
(Moth"-eat`) v. t. To eat or prey upon, as a moth eats a garment. [Rarely used except in the
form moth-eaten, p. p. or a.]
Ruin and neglect have so moth-eaten her.
Sir T. Herbert. Mothen
(Moth"en) a. Full of moths. [Obs.] Fulke.
