a short expression of a guiding principle; a maxim
‘Honesty is the best policy’ has always been my motto
a usu humorous or sentimental saying, or a piece of paper with such a saying printed on it, esp found in party crackers
a sentence, phrase, or word inscribed on something as appropriate to or indicative of its character or use
She asked if I could translate the Latin motto on the sundial
a quotation at the front of a book, start of a chapter, etc, appropriate to its theme; = epigraph
[Italian motto saying, word, from Latin muttum grunt, from muttire to mutter]