noun
motte
Motte (noun) means a mound of earth, usually built up with a wooden or stone building on top and a ditch around it.
noun
1
A mound of earth, usually built up with a wooden or stone building on top and a ditch around it.
"The motte was a mound made of earth and surrounded by a ditch."
— Richard Huscroft, The Norman Conquest: A New Introduction (2013)
2
A claim that is hard to challenge and easy to defend, used within the motte-and-bailey fallacy.
""Birds are dinosaurs" is the bailey; "birds are more similar to dinosaurs than anything else" is the motte."
— , Why Birds Are Not Dinosaurs (And Why It Matters) (2023)
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Etymology
Comes from French motte, from Anglo-Norman/Old French motte (“mound, hillock”). It is a doublet of moat.
Rhymes for motte
See all rhymes for motte →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of motte?
"motte" (noun) means a mound of earth, usually built up with a wooden or stone building on top and a ditch around it.
What are the different meanings of motte?
"motte" has 2 main meanings: 1. A mound of earth, usually built up with a wooden or stone building on top and a ditch around it; 2. A claim that is hard to challenge and easy to defend, used within the motte-and-bailey fallacy.
