The word, moot, has several definitions which are in themselves moot. In common usage, the word has often been used to describe a topic that no longer requires debate. The Reverend Jessie Jackson was lampooned frequently on Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s for his soundbite, “The question is moot.”
Current usage of this term differs significantly from initial use by Anglo-Saxons, from which the word derives. Moot meant a meet, often a town meeting, and might be spelled as “mot.” This should not be confused with the French mot, which means word. In a meeting, debatable questions might arise. The moot was the forum for solving subjects under debate and thus leads to the definition as an arguable or debatable point.
Clearly, current usage has led to the word meaning the absolute opposite of arguable or debatable. Instead it is a settled point, implying argument and debate took place before an issue was rendered moot. However, in legal usage, the original definition may be more applicable.
For example, participation in moot court is a frequent exercise of law students. The term can sometimes be used as a synonym for a mock trial. In a moot court, students may debate and argue issues. Often, a mock trial is different because it tends to argue matters of fact before a mock jury. In a moot court, students are more likely to argue the particulars of a matter of law that might be of current interest, submitting legal briefs and making oral arguments, as well.
To confuse matters, in point of law, a moot point is one a judge does not consider, since it has been previously ruled upon by another judge. In this case, the word is synonymous with Reverend Jackson’s use of the term. It is theorized both in law and in common language, the term might actually more closely be related to the term mute. A point that is no longer arguable essentially deserves silence or no response. It is mute or silent and no longer requires discussion or debate.
The word "moot" tends to demonstrate the slippery and changing nature of the English language. A word that has opposing definitions suggests our language is constantly in flux. Ultimately, one would suppose usage of the word will tend toward one definition, as it now tends toward the definition of not requiring debate. However, this point is moot.
