Definition

Noun: 1. A tiny or scarcely detectable amount; a very small part or quantity. This word emphasizes an extremely minute or insignificant portion, often used in negative or emphatic constructions to stress the absence or precision of something.

Usage

The word "tittle" is a formal and somewhat archaic term. It is most commonly used in the fixed phrase "not one jot or tittle" (meaning not even the smallest amount) and in expressions like "exact to a tittle" (meaning perfectly precise). It is rarely used in everyday modern English outside of these set phrases.

Examples

• The contract was followed to a tittle; every detail was executed perfectly.
• He promised not one jot or tittle of the original plan would be changed.
• The scientist measured the sample with tittle-like precision.

Advanced Usage

• "not one jot or tittle": This idiom, originating from biblical language (Matthew 5:18), means not even the smallest or most insignificant part. "Jot" refers to the smallest letter in the Greek and Hebrew alphabets (iota), and "tittle" refers to a small stroke or diacritical mark in writing.
  • The law must be obeyed, not one jot or tittle of it can be ignored.

Variants and Related Words

• Jot (n.): Another word for a very small amount, often paired with "tittle."
• Iota (n.): A very small amount; an infinitesimal part.
• Whit (n.): The smallest part or particle imaginable (e.g., "not a whit of evidence").

Synonyms

• Iota
• Whit
• Scintilla
• Mite
• Particle
• Atom
• Smidgen (more informal)

Antonyms

• Lot
• Abundance
• Mass
• Quantity

Noun

1. a tiny or scarcely detectable amount