iota

noun

io·ta ī-ˈō-tə

in sense 2 sometimes ē-ˈō-tə

Synonyms of iota next

: an infinitesimal amount : jot

did not show an iota of interest

: the 9th letter of the Greek alphabet see Alphabet Table

Did you know?

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.

Examples of iota in a Sentence

there's not an iota of doubt regarding the defendant's guilt

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Campervan Co squeezes in a sleek, covert kitchen pod, fully adjustable three-seat bench/bed and dining area, without losing an iota of everyday driving capability. —

New Atlas, 2 Dec. 2024 These people do not care one iota if Ronaldo is playing for Manchester United, Portugal, Al Nassr or Stalybridge Celtic. —

Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 30 June 2024 If this is a power play, any absence won’t change the status of the Bengals’ brass or affect the negotiations one iota. —

Paul Dehner Jr., The Athletic, 25 July 2024 There wasn’t an iota of gratitude in the TD Garden crowd for Steve Kerr, who helped lead Team USA — and three Celtics — to Olympic gold this summer. —

Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for iota