noun, used as a suffix, noun
Lord; Highness
Honorific suffix attached to the name of a god or a noble, similar to 'Lord' or 'Highness' in English. Used in historical and mythological contexts.
日本神話では、天照大神は「天照大御神」とも呼ばれ、「御」の部分が「みこと」と読まれることがある。
In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu Ōmikami is also called 'Amaterasu Ōmikami', where the '御' part can be read as 'mikoto'.
pronoun
Archaic derogatory second-person pronoun. Extremely rare and only found in very old texts; not used in modern Japanese.
古典文学では、目下の者に対して「みこと」と呼びかける用例が稀に見られる。
In classical literature, there are rare examples of addressing a subordinate as 'mikoto'.
古事記には「伊邪那岐命」や「伊邪那美命」といった神々の名が記されている。
In the Kojiki, names of gods such as 'Izanagi no Mikoto' and 'Izanami no Mikoto' are recorded.
The historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with honorific usage for gods and nobles.