20091221每日一词

junli

iota

\eye-OH-tuh\ , noun;
1.The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding to the English i.
2.A very small quantity or degree; a jot; a bit.
名词 n.
1.希腊语的第九个字母
2.极微小

Quotes:
Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler taught us that the Earth moves and rotates while the heavens stand still, but this did not change by one iota our direct perception that the heavens do move and that the Earth does not budge.
~Julian Barbour, The End of Time
He has not moderated his demands one iota in seven years.
~Charles Krauthammer, "The Last Deal or No Deal", Time, July 17, 2000
I couldn't help feeling that in spite of every iota of evidence to the contrary, something was about to happen.
~Jane Smiley, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton

Origin:
Iota is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet. The word jot also derives from iota.