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Iota and Jot
Feel free to jot this down so you don’t forget: the words iota and jot share a lot more than just a common meaning—both ultimately come from the same word. When Latin scholars transcribed the Greek name of the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, they spelled it as either iota or jota (the letters i and j were simply variants of each other), and these spellings eventually passed into English as iota and jot. Since the Greek letter iota is the smallest letter of its alphabet, both words eventually came to be used in reference to very small things.
Synonyms
Examples of iota in a Sentence
Joe Lynch, Billboard, 31 Oct. 2024
While anyone with an iota of empathy will be moved by Edith and Sébastien’s heroic effort to make the best of a horrific situation, the actual film offers little beyond its heartwarming premise.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2024
Delon still retained every iota of his ultra-sultriness.
—Victoria Edel, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2024
And in elite speed sports, every iota of energy counts.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for iota 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'iota.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near iota
Cite this Entry
“Iota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iota. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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