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Entry 4 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913

Mot

/(mōt)/ · IPA /məʊ/
01 v. May; must; might.
Sing. pres. ind. Mot; pl. Mot; pres. subj. Mote; imp. Moste
  1. 1.
    May; must; might.[Obs.]
    “He moot as well say one word as another” — Chaucer.
    “The wordes mote be cousin to the deed.” — Chaucer.
    “Men moot [i.e., one only] give silver to the poore freres.” — Chaucer.
Phrases & compounds
So mote it be — so be it; amen; -- a phrase in some rituals, as that of the Freemasons.
02 n. A word; hence, a motto; a device.
  1. 1.
    A word; hence, a motto; a device.[Obs.]
    “Tarquin's eye may read the mot afar.” — Shak.
  2. 2.
    A pithy or witty saying; a witticism.[A Gallicism]
    “Here and there turns up a . . . savage mot.” — N. Brit. Rev.
  3. 3.
    A note or brief strain on a bugle.