Bible Dictionary
Tittle
A tittle was a very small stroke or mark associated with a written letter. Jesus used the term to express the enduring significance of even the smallest detail of the Law.
Definition
A tittle was a very small stroke or mark associated with a letter, sometimes serving as an accent or diacritical distinction. The word therefore came to signify the smallest point or detail.
Biblical Usage
Jesus used the term with “jot” to refer to the minutiae of the Law, teaching that not even the smallest mark would pass away.
Historical Background
The term translates Greek keraia, “a little horn.” Scribes paid close attention to such marks in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A point, (Matt. 5:18; Luke 16:17), the minute point or stroke added to some letters of the Hebrew alphabet to distinguish them from others which they resemble; hence, the very least point.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>tit'-'-l (keraia (Westcott-Hort, kerea), from keras, "a horn"): A small stroke or mark, specif. on a letter to denote accent, or as a diacritical mark; used only in Mt 5:18 and Lu 16:17. In the first passage it is used in connection with iota, or jot, i.e. the very smallest thing, and in both it refers to the minutiae of the Law. It is well known that the scribes paid the greatest attention to such marks attached to the letters in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Massoretic Text of which abounds in them.</p><p>See JOT; YODH.</p>