moot

[moot]

adjective

1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful.

   Whether that was the cause of their troubles is a moot point.

   Synonyms: unsettled, disputed, disputable
   Antonyms: indisputable

2. of little or no practical value, meaning, or relevance; purely academic.

   In practical terms, the issue of her application is moot because the deadline has passed.

3. Chiefly Law.,  not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.

verb (used with object)

1. to present or introduce (any point, subject, project, etc.) for discussion.

   Synonyms: discuss, dispute, debate
   Antonyms: agree

2. to reduce or remove the practical significance of; make purely theoretical or academic.

3. Archaic.,  to argue (a case), especially in a mock court.

noun

1. an assembly of the people in early England exercising political, administrative, and judicial powers.

2. an argument or discussion, especially of a hypothetical legal case.

3. Obsolete.,  a debate, argument, or discussion.

moot

/ muːt /

adjective

1. subject or open to debate

   a moot point

verb

1. (tr) to suggest or bring up for debate

2. (intr) to plead or argue theoretical or hypothetical cases, as an academic exercise or as vocational training for law students

noun

1. a discussion or debate of a hypothetical case or point, held as an academic activity

2. (in Anglo-Saxon England) an assembly, mainly in a shire or hundred, dealing with local legal and administrative affairs

Other Word Forms

• mooter noun
• mootness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of moot¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun mot(e) “meeting, assembly,” Old English gemōt; cognate with Old Norse mōt, Dutch gemoet “meeting”; meet ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of moot¹

Old English gemōt; compare Old Saxon mōt, Middle High German muoze meeting

Example Sentences

That was mooted to me by one insider this morning.

From BBC

Locations from Geneva and Vienna to Budapest or Istanbul have all been mooted as possible venues.

From BBC

It's a moot point, simply because Stokes is incapable of reining it in.

From BBC

When passport sales were first mooted in 2012 by the then Antiguan government as a way of propping up the ailing economy, some considered the ethics a little iffy.

From BBC

Whether you think he should be there or not is a moot point now.

From BBC

Related Words

• debatable 
• problematic 
• unresolved 
• unsettled