JOT AND TITTLE.In Mat_5:18 Jesus says, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (||Luk_16:17). The Greek words iôta and keraia (WH [Note: H Westcott and Horts text.] kerea) were translated by Tindale iott and tytle, and these forms were retained in all the versions. The 1611 ed. of AV [Note: Authorized Version.] has iote (one syllable) and title, but modern printers have turned iote into jot, and title into tittle. The iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, as is the yod in the later Hebrew. The keraia (literally little horn) is any small mark distinguishing one letter from another, like the stroke of a t.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909