moot
Meaning
(of a subject or question) open to argument or debate; having no practical relevance.
raise (a question or topic) for discussion; suggest (an idea or possibility).
(historical) an assembly held for debate, especially in Anglo-Saxon and medieval times.
Usage
The question of whether the company should expand became moot after the market collapsed.
The committee will moot the proposal for a new policy at the next meeting.
In law school, students often participate in a moot court to practice their arguments.
Etymology
The word 'moot' originates from the Old English 'mōt' or 'gemōt', meaning a meeting, assembly, or court. This term is related to the Old Norse 'mót', both deriving from a Proto-Germanic root 'mōtą', which signifies a coming together or encounter. In medieval England, a 'moot' was a formal gathering, often for judicial or deliberative purposes, leading to the verb meaning 'to debate'. Over time, the adjective sense evolved from the idea of a point being debatable in such an assembly, and later specialized to mean a question of purely academic interest, lacking practical consequence.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from Old English. Its core form has remained intact through its history.