Motte vs. Motto

Mottenoun

A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden or stone structure and surrounded with a ditch.

Mottenoun

A clump of trees in a prairie.

Mottonoun

(heraldry) A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.

Mottonoun

A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim.

Mottonoun

A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievment.

Mottonoun

A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim.

Mottonoun

a favorite saying of a sect or political group

Mottonoun

a short sentence or phrase chosen as encapsulating the beliefs or ideals of an individual, family, or institution

Mottonoun

a phrase which recurs throughout a musical work and has some symbolical significance

Motto

A motto (derived from the Latin muttum, 'mutter', by way of Italian motto, 'word', 'sentence') is the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group or organization. Mottos are usually found predominantly in written form (unlike slogans, which may also be expressed orally), and may stem from long traditions of social foundations, or from significant events, such as a civil war or a revolution.