motto

(mŏt'ō)
n., pl., -toes, or -tos.

1. A brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal. See synonyms at saying.
2. A sentence, phrase, or word of appropriate character inscribed on or attached to an object.
3. A maxim adopted as a guide to one's conduct.

[Italian, word, motto, probably from Vulgar Latin *mōttum, word. See mot.]

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has the plural form mottoes.

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noun

1. A usually pithy and familiar statement expressing an observation or principle generally accepted as wise or true: adage, aphorism, byword, maxim, proverb, saw, saying. See words.
2. A rallying term used by proponents of a cause: battle cry, call to arms, call to battle, cry, rallying cry, war cry. See words.

A motif which recurs at various points in a work. ‘Motto aria’ is sometimes used for a Baroque aria which opens with a motto phrase, followed by an instrumental passage, before the voice resumes. See also Head-motif, Idée fixe and Leitmotif.

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For a list of words related to motto, see:

• Rhetoric and Figures of Speech - motto: word or phrase used regularly to characterize something or some group

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See words rhyming with "motto."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Motto.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - motto, devise, valgsprog

Nederlands (Dutch)
devies, lijfspreuk, motto, ulevellenrijmpje

Français (French)
n. - devise, (GB) blague, devinette

Deutsch (German)
n. - Motto, Spruch

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μότο, απόφθεγμα, γνωμικό, αρχή, έμβλημα

Italiano (Italian)
motto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - mote (m)

Русский (Russian)
девиз, эпиграф

Español (Spanish)
n. - divisa, lema

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - motto, överskrift

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
座右铭, 训言, 格言, 警句

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 座右銘, 訓言, 格言, 警句

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 표어, 금언, 제사

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 標語, モットー, 金言, 格言, 題銘, 題辞, 引用句

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شعار‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פתגם, מימרה, אימרה המאומצת ככלל התנהגות, משפט שנכתב על חפץ כדי להביע רגש מסוים, ציטטה בראשית ספר או פרק בו, מוטו‬

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