US /ˈspɛkəl/ UK /ˈspekəl/
noun verb Freq #163278

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a small spot or mark of a contrasting color

    A dark speckle appeared near the edge of the leaf.

  2. 2
    verb

    to mark or cover something with small spots of contrasting color

    Drops of blue paint speckle the white floor.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a small spot or mark of a... spotfleckdot
2 verb · to mark or cover something... spotfleckmottle
Word family
Forms speckled
Derived forms speckly
Related forms speckmottle

Etymology

The noun comes from Middle Dutch spekkel 'small spot or stain.' The English verb was formed from the noun in the late sixteenth century.

Topics

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