A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1587-1635
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Motty, -ie, a. [f. mot(t Mote n.1 Also common in the mod. dial.] Containing ‘motes’ (Mote n.1 1 a) or specks seen in a sunbeam. 1587-99 Hume 27/54.
The subtile mottie rayons light, At rifts thay are in wonne 1635 Dickson Wr. 67.
When all their enemies come about them like bees, thicker than the motty sun
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"Motty adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/motty>
