motte
/ˈmɒt/
noun 3name 1
Collocations
1MOTTE + NOUN
bailey, capitalism's, mound
Definitions
name
1
A surname.
noun
1
A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden or stone structure and surrounded with a ditch.
The motte was a mound made of earth and surrounded by a ditch.
2
An argument which is uncontroversial and easy to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).
Coordinate term: bailey
"Birds are dinosaurs" is the bailey; "birds are more similar to dinosaurs than anything else" is the motte.
noun
1
Alternative form of mott.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
401
The motte was a mound made of earth and surrounded by a ditch.
Wiktionary02
Coordinate term: bailey
Wiktionary03
"Birds are dinosaurs" is the bailey; "birds are more similar to dinosaurs than anything else" is the motte.
Wiktionary04
Fascism is the motte to capitalism's bailey.
Tatoeba · #13547451Usage Notes
Your note
not saved0 chars