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Dot Very Common

Dot has 15 different meanings across 4 categories:

Noun · Verb · Prep · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

a very small circular shape

"a row of points"

"draw lines between the dots"

2

the United States federal department that institutes and coordinates national transportation programs; created in 1966

"The DOT announced new funding for highway safety projects across the country."

3

the shorter of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code

"He tapped out his name in Morse code, starting with a single dot before the longer dash."

4

street name for lysergic acid diethylamide

"After reading about the dangerous side effects, he decided never to try a dot again."

5

A small, round spot.

"The chemical formula for borax is often shortened to DOT in industrial safety sheets."

6

A dowry.

7

Initialism of Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate.

In plain English: A dot is a tiny round mark, like the one you make when you press your pen lightly on paper.

"She carefully placed a red dot on the map to show her location."

Usage: As a common noun, a dot is a small round mark or spot used in writing and printing to separate numbers or indicate emphasis. Although the chemical initialism DOT exists for disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, the word generally refers to this simple graphical element rather than the substance.

Verb
1

scatter or intersperse like dots or studs

"Hills constellated with lights"

2

distribute loosely

"He scattered gun powder under the wagon"

3

make a dot or dots

"She carefully dotted the flour on her fingertips before dusting it over the dough."

dot
4

mark with a dot

"dot your `i's"

dot
5

To cover with small spots (of some liquid).

"After spilling the ink on her white shirt, she tried to dab away the stain, but it only managed to dot the fabric further."

In plain English: To dot something means to put small marks or items here and there across a surface.

"She dotted the cake with blueberries before serving it."

Usage: Use "dot" as a verb to describe covering a surface with scattered drops or small marks of a substance, such as when rain dots the windowpane. It implies a patterned distribution rather than a solid coating.

Prep
1

Dot product of the previous vector and the following vector.

"The algorithm calculates the dot product of the previous vector and the following vector to determine the direction change at each point in the trajectory."

Proper Noun
1

Initialism of Department of Transportation. or Department of Transport

"My aunt Dot told me that she used to work at a bakery before moving to Florida."

2

A diminutive of the female given name Dorothy

Example Sentences
"She carefully placed a red dot on the map to show her location." noun
"She dotted the cake with blueberries before serving it." verb
"She dotted the letter with red ink to highlight important points." verb
See Also
point period mole bipupillate wsdot scalar product interdot dot painting
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
disk executive department telegraphic signal lysergic acid diethylamide cover discharge write mark
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
spray spatter sprinkle bespangle aerosolize

Origin

The word "dot" comes from Old English dott, which originally meant a small wisp or lump. It traveled into modern English with this sense of a tiny mark or point remaining largely unchanged over time.

Rhyming Words
wsdot godot on dot middot inkdot mildot biodot bardot mil dot nanodot wyandot day dot antidot overdot peridot slashdot turandot microdot underdot poke dot
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