dot

¹

[ dot ]

noun

1. a small, roundish mark made with or as if with a pen.
2. a minute or small spot on a surface; speck:

   There were dots of soot on the windowsill.

3. anything relatively small or specklike.
4. a small specimen, section, amount, or portion:

   a dot of butter.

5. a period, especially as used when pronouncing an internet address.
6. Music.
   1. a point placed after a note or rest, to indicate that the duration of the note or rest is to be increased one half. A double dot further increases the duration by one half the value of the single dot.
   2. a point placed under or over a note to indicate that it is to be played staccato.
7. Telegraphy. a signal of shorter duration than a dash, used in groups along with groups of dashes and spaces to represent letters, as in Morse code.
8. Printing. an individual element in a halftone reproduction.

verb (used with object)

, dot·ted, dot·ting.

1. to mark with or as if with a dot or dots.
2. to stud or diversify with or as if with dots:

   Trees dot the landscape.

3. to form or cover with dots:

   He dotted a line across the page.

4. Cooking. to sprinkle with dabs of butter, margarine, or the like:

   Dot the filling with butter.

verb (used without object)

, dot·ted, dot·ting.

1. to make a dot or dots.

dot

²

[ dot, dawt ]

noun

, Civil Law.

1. dowry ( def 1 ).

Dot

³

[ dot ]

noun

1. a female given name, form of Dorothea and Dorothy.

DOT

⁴

abbreviation for

1. damage over time: (in a video game) an attack that results in light or moderate damage when it is dealt, but that wounds or weakens the receiving character, who continues to lose health in small increments for a specified period of time, or until healed by a spell, potion, etc.
2. Department of Transportation.
3. Dictionary of Occupational Titles: reference book formerly published by the Department of Labor with job titles, descriptions, and official classifications, discontinued in 1999 and replaced by the online Occupational Informational Network.

dot

¹

/ ˈdəʊtəl; dɒt /

noun

1. civil law a woman's dowry

dot

²

/ dɒt /

noun

1. a small round mark made with or as with a pen, etc; spot; speck; point
2. anything resembling a dot; a small amount

   a dot of paint

3. the mark (˙) that appears above the main stem of the letters i, j
4. music
   1. the symbol (·) placed after a note or rest to increase its time value by half
   2. this symbol written above or below a note indicating that it must be played or sung staccato
5. maths logic
   1. the symbol (.) indicating multiplication or logical conjunction
   2. a decimal point
6. the symbol (·) used, in combination with the symbol for dash (–), in the written representation of Morse and other telegraphic codes Compare dit
7. the year dot informal.
   as long ago as can be remembered
8. on the dot
   at exactly the arranged time

verb

1. tr to mark or form with a dot

   a dotted crotchet

   to dot a letter

2. tr to scatter or intersperse (with dots or something resembling dots)

   bushes dotting the plain

3. intr to make a dot or dots
4. dot one's i's and cross one's t's
   to pay meticulous attention to detail

dot

/ dŏt /

1. A symbol (·) indicating multiplication, as in 2 · 4 = 8. It is used to indicate the dot product of vectors, for example A · B .
2. A period, as used as in URLs and e-mail addresses, to separate strings of words, as in www.hmco.com .

Derived Forms

• dotal, adjective
• ˈdotter, noun

Other Words From

• dotlike adjective
• dotter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dot¹

First recorded before 1000; perhaps to be identified with Old English dott “head of a boil,” though not attested in Middle English; dottle, dit, derivative of Old English dyttan “to stop up” (probably derivative of dott ); cognate with Old High German tutta “nipple”

Origin of dot²

First recorded in 1820–25; from French, from Latin dōtem, accusative of dōs “dowry,” akin to dare “to give”

Word History and Origins

Origin of dot¹

C19: from French, from Latin dōs; related to dōtāre to endow, dāre to give

Origin of dot²

Old English dott head of a boil; related to Old High German tutta nipple, Norwegian dott, Dutch dott lump

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. dot one's i's and cross one's t's, to be meticulous or precise, even to the smallest detail.
2. on the dot, Informal. precisely; exactly at the time specified:

   The guests arrived at eight o'clock on the dot.

3. the year dot, British Informal. very long ago.

More idioms and phrases containing dot

In addition to the idiom beginning with dot , also see on the dot ; sign on the dotted line .

Example Sentences

Controversial — even bizarre — revelations dotted his presidential run.

From Los Angeles Times

“There are red dots that never existed the last few decades.”

From Los Angeles Times

These dots are crucial for quantum computing because they allow scientists to control the behavior of electrons, similar to how a conductor might control a current of water flowing through pipes.

From Science Daily

Shelton, a lifelong snowboarder, grew up in the L.A. area but never ventured into the majestic mountains dotted with fragrant pines to the north, let alone cruised down the slopes of Mt.

From Los Angeles Times

Flanker Underhill then showed his power for the second week in a row close to the try-line to extend the lead, before captain George dotted down twice from rampaging mauls.

From BBC

Related Words

• dab
• droplet
• fleck
• speck