Crossword Genius

Jot down the first nine letters (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

iota

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

This clue might be a double definition.

'jot' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)

'down the first nine letters' is the second definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I cannot understand how one could define the other.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for iota that I've seen before include "Greek letter; tiny amount" , "Greek letter - small quantity" , "European letter" , "letter from Greece" , "Tiny or scarcely detectable amount" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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