Standard Lemma guide

jot

noun · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɒt/
  • Multicultural-London-English: [d͡ʒɔʔ]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /d͡ʒɑt/
  • rhymes with -ɒt
  • CMU ARPABET: JH AA1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The smallest letter or stroke of any writing; an iota.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A small, or the smallest, amount of a thing; a bit, a whit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Examples

  • He didn’t care a jot for his work.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, bit, crumb, glimpse, dab, damn, dash, diddly, glint, dot, spatter, drop, dusting, fleck, glimmer, hint, flip, flyspeck, grain, halfpennyworth, inch, iota, jot, lick, mite, modicum, molecule, morceau, morsel, mote, ooch, ounce, particle, pennyworth, piece, pinch, relish, scantling, semblance, scent, scintilla, scooch, scrap, scruple, shred, skerrick, skoosh, skosh, sliver, smattering, smidge, smidgen, smidget, smidgy, smitch, smithereen, soupçon, spark, speck, speckle, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, tad, tidbit, tidge, tinge, tittle, toddick, touch, trace, trifle, tuppence worth, vestige, whiff, whit

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A small, or the smallest, amount of a thing; a bit, a whit.

An instant, a moment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, bit, crumb, glimpse, dab, damn, dash, diddly, glint, dot, spatter, drop, dusting, fleck, glimmer, hint, flip, flyspeck, grain, halfpennyworth, inch, iota, jot, lick, mite, modicum, molecule, morceau, morsel, mote, ooch, ounce, particle, pennyworth, piece, pinch, relish, scantling, semblance, scent, scintilla, scooch, scrap, scruple, shred, skerrick, skoosh, skosh, sliver, smattering, smidge, smidgen, smidget, smidgy, smitch, smithereen, soupçon, spark, speck, speckle, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, tad, tidbit, tidge, tinge, tittle, toddick, touch, trace, trifle, tuppence worth, vestige, whiff, whit, jiff, mo, sec, bat of an eye, blink of an eye, crack, eyeblink, flash, half a mo, instant, jiffy, minute, moment, New York minute, New York second, no time, second, span, split-second, spurt, stound, tick, trice, twink, twinkle, twinkling, while

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A brief and hurriedly written note.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A jerk, a jolt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bump

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

Chiefly followed by down: to write (something) quickly; to make a brief note of (something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Tell me your order so I can jot it down.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To jerk or jolt (something); to jog.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal, transitive

Qualifier: obsolete except UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bump

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a brief (and hurriedly handwritten) note

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jotting

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: note

9

noun

Meaning 9

a slight but appreciable amount

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • this dish could use a touch of garlic

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: touch, hint, tinge, mite, pinch, speck, soupcon

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: small indefinite quantity, small indefinite amount

Narrower terms: snuff

10

verb

Meaning 10

write briefly or hurriedly; write a short note of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jot down

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: write

History

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.

The verb is possibly onomatopoeic, suggesting a jerking motion. The noun is derived from the verb.

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: йота (jota) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Chinese Mandarin: 少量的 — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Esperanto: joto — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Finnish: hiven — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Finnish: hitunen — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Georgian: იოტა (ioṭa) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Greek: γιώτα (gióta) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Ancient Greek: ἰῶτα (iôta) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Hebrew: קוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוֹד (qotzó shel yod) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Icelandic: angarögn — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Icelandic: depill — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Icelandic: punktur — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Ido: iota — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Irish: ruainne — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Italian: punto — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Japanese: わずか (wazuka) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Macedonian: јо́та (jóta) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Polish: jot — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Polish: jota — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Russian: йо́та (jóta) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Spanish: jota — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Spanish: pizca — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Ottoman Turkish: پارچه (parça) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Ottoman Turkish: آوج (avuc) — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Vietnamese: chút — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Vietnamese: tí tẹo — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Vietnamese: tí teo — smallest letter or stroke of any writing — see also iota
  • Finnish: tuherrus — brief and hurriedly written note
  • Thai: จด (jòt) — brief and hurriedly written note
  • Bulgarian: нахвърлям (nahvǎrljam) — to write (something) quickly
  • Bulgarian: надрасквам (nadraskvam) — to write (something) quickly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 速记 (sùjì) — to write (something) quickly
  • Finnish: sutaista — to write (something) quickly
  • French: noter au brouillon — to write (something) quickly
  • Georgian: ჩაწერა (čac̣era) — to write (something) quickly
  • German: schnell hinschreiben — to write (something) quickly
  • German: kurz notieren — to write (something) quickly
  • Icelandic: hripa — to write (something) quickly
  • Icelandic: hripa hjá sér — to write (something) quickly
  • Icelandic: hripa niður — to write (something) quickly
  • Icelandic: punkta — to write (something) quickly
  • Icelandic: punkta niður — to write (something) quickly
  • Icelandic: skrifa hjá sér — to write (something) quickly
  • Macedonian: чкр́та (čkŕta) — to write (something) quickly
  • Polish: skrobnąć — to write (something) quickly
  • Portuguese: rabiscar — to write (something) quickly
  • Russian: черка́ть impf or чёркать (čerkátʹ) — to write (something) quickly
  • Russian: черкну́ть (čerknútʹ) — to write (something) quickly
  • Russian: набра́сывать (nabrásyvatʹ) — to write (something) quickly
  • Russian: наброса́ть (nabrosátʹ) — to write (something) quickly
  • Thai: จด (jòt) — to write (something) quickly