jot

/dʒɑt/

/dʒɒt/

Other forms: jotted; jotting; jots

When you jot something, you write it quickly. You might jot down a friend's email address on the back of your grocery list.

It's most common to use the verb jot with down: "Hang on, let me jot down the appointment time." It's a good word to use when you're writing a brief note, a phone number, or a list — especially when you're doing it in a hurry. The earliest meaning of jot is "a tiny bit," which comes from the Latin word jota, an alternate spelling of the Greek iota, the smallest letter in the alphabet or the smallest amount of something.

Definitions of jot

1. verb

   write briefly or hurriedly; write a short note of
   synonyms: jot down

   type of:

   write

   communicate or express by writing
2. noun

   a brief (and hurriedly handwritten) note
   synonyms: jotting

   type of:

   note

   a brief written record
3. noun

   a slight but appreciable amount
   synonyms: hint, mite, pinch, soupcon, speck, tinge, touch, trifle

   types:

   snuff

   a pinch of smokeless tobacco inhaled at a single time

   type of:

   small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity

   an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude