mote

Sunbeam's visible passenger

A mote is a tiny particle, especially one visible in a shaft of light: Dust motes floated in the sunbeam.

The word is literary and appears most famously in the biblical injunction about seeing the mote in another's eye while ignoring the beam in one's own—a speck versus a plank, small faults versus large ones.

tiny

speck

Minute visible particle

fleckMinute spot or particle
iotaMinuscule quantity
jotBrief, hasty recording

whit · scintilla · smidgen · trace · bit · grain · crumb · fragment · sliver · dot

dust

speck

Minute visible particle

particleMinute piece of matter
fleckMinute spot or particle
grainCereal plant's harvest unit

mite · dander · pollen · soot · ash · lint · grit · powder · filth · grime

light

sunbeam

Shaft of daylight

shaftNarrow vertical passage
rayNarrow light emission
gleamFaint reflected light

sparkle · glint · shimmer · dancing · floating · glimmer · twinkle · beam · luminous · golden

biblical

eye

Organ of sight

beamStructural support member
splinterThin sharp fragment
parableInstructive allegorical narrative

hypocrisy · judgement · fault · flaw · sin · scripture · brother · perceive · log · trespass

Categories

smallnesssmall, little, tiny, mini, miniature
tiny amountsbit, drop, hint, dash, dot
tiny bitsdots, dot, spots, spot, specks
tiny thingsant, atom, bead, crumb, flea
small amountsbit, drop, hint, dash, pinch
small bitsbit, crumb, flake, fragment, morsel

Opposites

size/scale

Large weathered stone

mass · chunk · slab · hunk · block

quantity/amount

Ample supply, overflowing

profusion · wealth · mountain · loads · pile

Phrases

slow motionPlayback below normal speed
in motionCurrently changing position
motion sicknessNausea from perceived movement
set in motionCause to begin operating
trainwrecks in slow motionGradually unfolding calamities observed
motion pictureFilmed visual narrative

Family

remote, emotion, motion, emotional, promote, motionless, demote, emote, motels

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G