• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What Does the Term “Moot Point” Mean and Where Did the Phrase For an Irrelevant Point Come From?

What Does the Term “Moot Point” Mean and Where Did the Phrase For an Irrelevant Point Come From?

March 24, 2020 by Karen Hill

If, after an argument, it is concluded that the point made is irrelevant, it’s called moot.

The word moot is an Old English word that means “an assembly of the people for making judicial or political decisions.”

That’s how the word took on the meaning of a discussion or a debate.

By the sixteenth century, moot had developed the specific meaning within the legal profession of a “hypothetical discussion on a legal point as an intellectual exercise.”

Just as arguments at an original moot or town meeting were of little consequence, the conclusions of an academic exercise among lawyers carries no weight in the real world and so it, too, is irrelevant or moot.

Related Facts

  • How do lawyers research members of a jury before deciding whether to challenge them?
  • How much does an aircraft carrier weigh and How is the weight of a ship calculated?
  • How did the skeptics get the idea that Shakespeare did not write his own plays?
  • Where Did the Phrase “Beside the Point” Come From and What Does the Expression Mean?
  • Who Discovered Air Pressure and that the Atmosphere has weight and presses down on us?
  • How do lawyers get paid when a company files for bankruptcy?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Is “Trial By Combat”, What Does the Phrase Mean, and Where Did the Expression Come From?
Next Post: Where Did the Word “Fired” When Losing Your Job Come From and What Did the Term Mean Originally? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy