speck

American  

[spek] / spɛk /

noun

1. a small spot differing in color or substance from that of the surface or material upon which it appears or lies.

   Specks of soot on the window sill.

2. a very little bit or particle.

   We haven't a speck of sugar.

3. something appearing small by comparison or by reason of distance.

   By then the town was just a speck.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to mark with, or as with, a speck or specks.

speck British  

/ spɛk /

noun

1. a very small mark or spot

2. a small or tiny piece of something

---

verb

1. (tr) to mark with specks or spots

Other Word Forms

• speckedness noun
• speckless adjective
• specklessly adverb
• specklessness noun

Etymology

Origin of speck

before 900; Middle English specke, Old English specca; cognate with Dutch spikkel

Example Sentences

The Daylight Limited was a growing speck in the distance.

From Literature

The Butterfly moved it in a quick arc, and with a speed I wouldn’t have thought possible, that flickering speck of light leaped from that lighter to the wall of the ship’s passageway and ignited.

From Literature

They reached an elevation that looked down upon the Very, Very Far North, with a few clouds actually hanging below them and the Shipwreck nothing but a speck seen far off in the distance.

From Literature

He must have been holding his breath because I couldn’t see one speck of life anywhere in his body.

From Literature

She dropped a speck in my hand, and all my hope drained away.

From Literature

Related Words

• blot
• dot
• fleck
• iota
• mite
• particle
• shred
• splotch
• stain