moot point
noun

- irrelevant, serving no useful purpose (US)

- a subject that people cannot agree about (UK)

- in British English, “moot” means debatable, open to discussion; in American English, it is considered irrelevant

Merriam-Webster, The Cambridge Dictionary, Guardian Style Guide

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The phrase "moot point" has an interesting etymology that shows how language evolves over time.

The word "moot" comes from the Old English mōt, meaning "meeting" or "assembly." In medieval England, a moot was a judicial assembly where legal cases were debated and decided. Think of it as an early form of court or town hall meeting. During the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, law schools used "moot courts" as training exercises where students would argue hypothetical legal cases. These practice debates dealt with theoretical scenarios rather than real, binding legal decisions. This is where "moot" began to take on the meaning of "debatable" or "open to discussion."

However, the phrase has undergone a semantic shift, particularly in US English. Today, when Americans say something is a "moot point," they mean it's irrelevant or no longer worth discussing - essentially the opposite of its original and British meaning. This shift likely occurred because if something is purely theoretical or hypothetical (the legal sense), it might be seen as having no practical relevance (the modern sense).

Interestingly, in legal and academic contexts, "moot" often retains more of its original meaning - referring to something that's debatable or hypothetical. You'll still hear about "moot court" competitions in law schools, where students argue theoretical cases.

So "moot point" evolved from meaning "a point worthy of debate" to "a point that's irrelevant to debate", a fascinating example of how word meanings can flip over centuries of use.

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MIND THE MOOT



Useful Phrases for managing discussions whether “arguable” or irrelevant”:

1. Setting Clear Purpose and Ground Rules 

    • Our goal today is simple: by the end, we want [X outcome]. Let’s all help keep the focus there. 

    • To keep this flowing well, let’s agree on a few basics — short, on-topic, and respectful of each other.

2. Redirecting or Refocusing the Conversation 

    • That’s a good point. For now, let’s park it and come back to the main question. 

    • Let’s bring the focus back to what we need to decide today.

3. Soliciting Relevant Comments
    
• Who’d like to add something directly on this point? 

    • Any thoughts that link straight to the question we’re exploring?

4. Active Listening and Summarization 

    • So what I’m hearing is [X], which really connects to [Y]. 

    • In short, we’ve got [X and Y]. That’s a helpful frame for moving forward.

5. Establishing a Framework or Agenda 

    • Here’s the plan: three topics, each with a guiding question. Let’s use this as our map. 

    • I’ll keep the agenda visible so we can all check back when we drift.

6. Interrupting With Purpose 

    • Sorry to jump in — that’s useful, but let’s steer back to our main track.

    • Great thought, which I’ve noted! Let’s just set it aside for the moment and get back to the core issue.

7. Encouraging Self-Regulation 

    • As we go, just ask yourself: does this move us closer to the goal? 

    • Quick check: is what I’m about to add helping today’s outcome?

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SYNONYMS 

Irrelevant, not worth discussing (US):

academic question, after the fact, ancient history, as dead as a dodo, as good as gone, as pointless as rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic, as useful as a chocolate teapot, beating a dead horse, beside the mark (the point), beyond relevance, bygone, dead duck (horse, in the water, issue), doesn’t matter, done and dusted, gone with the wind, has no bearing, immaterial, inapplicable, inconsequential, insignificant, irrelevant, kicking at shadows, MOOT POINT, neither here nor there, no consequence, no longer an issue, no point in pursuing, nonessential, non-issue, not germane, not important (pertinent, worth discussing), off point, off-topic, of no account (no concern, no importance, no moment), old hat, over and done with, past history, pointless, purely academic (theoretical), red herring, redundant, settled, ship has sailed, spilt milk, splitting hairs, superfluous, tangential, that train has left the station, trivial, unconnected, unimportant, unnecessary, unrelated, unneeded, useless, water under the bridge, waste of breath (of energy, of time)

Debatable, worthy of discussion (UK):

arguable, borderline, bone of contention, can be contested, case in point, contentious, controversial, debatable, disputed, disputable, doubtful, gray area, grey area, hangs in the balance, hot potato, in contention, in dispute, in doubt, in question, matter of judgment (of opinion, of perspective), MOOT POINT, not a closed book, not black and white, not cut and dried, not set in stone, not settled, open case, open question, open to argument, open to challenge, open to doubt, open to interpretation, open to question, points both ways, questionable, requires discussion, room for debate, something to chew over, something to hash out, talking point, the jury is still out, thorny issue, topic for discussion, two sides to every story, undecided, under consideration, unresolved, unsettled, up for debate (for discussion, in the air), waiting for resolution

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“The opposite US-UK meanings of MOOT POINT remind us of the wry observation: ‘Britain and America are two cultures divided by a common language’ ”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D

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