motes

Motes are minute particles, most often described as tiny specks of dust suspended in air or water. The term is used in everyday language and in scientific contexts to denote small specks that scatter light or settle from a medium.

The word mote comes from historical forms in Middle English, with roots that describe a small piece or speck. In common usage, motes can refer to dust motes visible in a sunbeam, as well as microscopic particles seen only with magnification.

In the environment, motes consist of mineral dust, pollen, soot, salt crystals, and organic matter. They influence visibility, air quality, and optical phenomena such as halos. In photography and microscopy, motes on lenses or within samples appear as bright spots or irregular specks; proper cleaning and preparation reduce or remove them.

In technology, the term mote is used for small sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks. These motes are typically battery-powered devices with a microcontroller, limited memory, a radio transceiver, various sensors, and constrained energy resources. They are deployed for environmental monitoring, smart agriculture, industrial sensing, and other distributed applications, emphasizing low power consumption and autonomous operation.

Culturally, the phrase mote in one's own eye appears in biblical literature as a metaphor for a small personal fault perceived in others but overlooked in oneself.

Related terms include speck, particle, fleck, dust, and particulate matter.