Well-read · Often misused · Law & order
Moot: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Moot adjective. Open to argument and not yet settled.
How to say it
MOOT/ˈmuːt/
1 syllable. Forms: mooted.
Meanings
- Open to argument and not yet settled.
- As a verb, to raise a question or idea for discussion.
Moot in a sentence
Whether the contract was ever valid is a moot point; the lawyers can't agree.
The idea of a four-day week was first mooted last spring.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- debatable
- arguable
- disputed
- unresolved
Opposite:
- settled
- decided
Careful
In British use a moot point is still open to debate. In American use it has come to mean of no practical importance, now standard there, so the phrase can mean two nearly opposite things.
Where moot comes from
From Old English mōt, a meeting, the gatherings where disputes were argued out.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The idea of a four-day week was first _____ last spring.
- meretricious
- moot
- fulsome
Show the answer
moot: The idea of a four-day week was first mooted last spring.