fleck

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /flɛk/ UK /flek/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like flake /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/ Sounds like flak /ɛ/ vs /æ/

Meanings

1

noun
a small patch of color or a tiny particle

A fleck of paint clung to his sleeve.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a small patch of color or a... speck spot dot mark particle mote patch

Word family

Derived forms fleckedfleckingfleckless

Etymology

Probably from Old Norse flekkr ('spot, fleck') or Middle Low German vlecke, of Germanic origin.

flekkr Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# fleck

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /flɛk/
**IPA (UK):** /flek/

## Meanings
1. a small patch of color or a tiny particle

## Examples
- A fleck of paint clung to his sleeve.

## Synonyms
- speck
- spot
- dot
- mark
- particle
- mote
- patch

## Derived Forms
- flecked
- flecking
- fleckless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: flekkr

## Etymology
Probably from Old Norse flekkr ('spot, fleck') or Middle Low German vlecke, of Germanic origin.

## AI Etymology
Fleck is probably from Old Norse flekkr ('spot, fleck') or Middle Low German vlecke, of Germanic origin. The history is deliberately cautious: the proposed comparison is useful for orientation, but the wording leaves room for uncertainty rather than forcing a false certainty. In present use, it is used as a noun and verb meaning "a small patch of color or a tiny particle", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as flecked, flecking, and fleckless, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Old Norse flekkr, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes speck, spot, dot, and mark, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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