n.
Pronunciation: ' dät
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English *dot, from Old English dott head of a boil; akin to Old High German tutta nipple
Date: 1674
1 : a small spot : SPECK
2 : a small round mark: as a (1) : a small point made with a pointed instrument <a dot on the chart marked the ship's position> (2) : a small round mark used in orthography or punctuation <put a dot over the i > b : a centered point used as a multiplication sign (as in 6 · 5 = 30) c (1) : a point after a note or rest in music indicating augmentation of the time value by one half (2) : a point over or under a note indicating that it is to be played staccato
3 : a precise point especially in time <arrived at six on the dot >
4 : a short click or buzz forming a letter or part of a letter (as in the Morse code)