mote
mote — 名詞
- motesingular
- motesplural
1. a speck of dust or other fine material, so tiny that it is only clearly visible
微塵
光線中飄浮、幾乎看不見的細小顆粒
a speck of dust or other fine material, so tiny that it is only clearly visible when light catches it
A mote of dust drifted through the shaft of sunlight coming through the window.
一顆微塵飄過窗戶射進來的那束陽光。
collocation: 'a mote of dust'
Yara wiped the table clean, but one mote of flour stayed on the edge.
Yara 把桌子擦乾淨了，但桌邊還留著一粒麵粉微塵。
Eric stared at his screen, unsure if the dark dot was a mote of dust.
Eric 盯著螢幕，不確定那個黑點是不是一粒灰塵。
In the old cottage, motes of dust danced in the light from the window.
老屋裡，微塵在窗外照進來的光線中飛舞。
Imran lifted the gem to the light and found not one mote on its surface.
Imran 把寶石舉到光下，表面找不到一絲微塵。
用法筆記
Typically used with 'of' followed by the substance (mote of dust, mote of flour). The phrase 'a mote in one's eye' comes from the Bible and means a small fault that someone looks for in others while ignoring a larger fault in themselves.
常見錯誤
mote — 助動詞
1. an old word used in place of 'may' or 'might,' expressing that something is poss
或許（古語）
古英文中表示「可能」或「或許」的助動詞
an old word used in place of 'may' or 'might,' expressing that something is possible or allowed, found today mainly in the set phrase 'so mote it be'
At the end of the ceremony, the crowd whispered, 'So mote it be.'
儀式結束時，眾人低聲說：『So mote it be（但願如此）。』
set phrase: 'so mote it be'
In the old manuscript, the knight declared, 'I mote depart at dawn.'
古老手稿中，騎士宣告：『I mote depart at dawn（我或許將在黎明離開）。』
Jabari read aloud from the ancient text: 'What mote this strange writing mean?'
Jabari 大聲讀出古文：『What mote this strange writing mean（這奇怪的文字可能是什麼意思）？』
Priya knelt before the queen and asked softly, 'Mote I speak of the matter now?'
Priya 跪在女王面前，輕聲問道：『Mote I speak of the matter now（我或許可以現在談這件事嗎）？』
文法句型
mote + bare infinitive
用法筆記
An archaic auxiliary verb found only in old texts and in the traditional phrase 'so mote it be.' Not used in modern English outside of historical or ritual contexts. 'So mote it be' is still heard in some Wiccan and Masonic ceremonies.