noun
motto
MO-toh
noun
1
A short phrase that expresses a guiding belief or principle.
""Waste not, want not" was her grandmother's motto."
"The school's motto is engraved above the main entrance."
How to Use Motto
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA short saying that sums up someone's beliefs or a group's guiding idea.
Common pairings
personal motto
family motto
school motto
Word Forms
mottoed past tense, mottos plural, mottoes plural, mottos singular
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"Waste not, want not" was her grandmother's _____.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian motto ("a word, a saying"), from Latin muttum ("a mutter").