mot

Mot is a masculine noun in French meaning "word." It denotes a unit of language used to express a meaning, as well as more general or figurative senses such as a spoken or written word in context. The plural is mots, and phrases often employ the word in compound forms, for example un mot d’ordre (watchword or directive) and mot de passe (password). Other common formations include mots croisés (crossword clues or puzzles) and des mots simples (simple words).

In English usage, mot appears mainly in borrowed French phrases, most famously mot juste, meaning the exact, fitting word for a given situation. The term is also encountered in discussions of language or literature to refer to a word or expression, though it is relatively uncommon outside those contexts. In everyday French, mot forms are highly productive in compound nouns and descriptive phrases, such as des mots doux (kind words) or un mot édifiant (an edifying word).

Pronunciation and grammar notes: mot is pronounced roughly like "mo" with a silent final t; the plural mots is typically pronounced the same as the singular. The word is used with the usual French articles: un mot, des mots. It serves as a basic linguistic unit in education and reference, and it commonly appears in both practical and literary contexts.

See also: vocabulary, lexeme, phraseology.