dapple

[dap-uhl]

noun

1. a spot or mottled marking, usually occurring in clusters.

2. an animal with a mottled skin or coat.

adjective

1. dappled; spotted.

   a dapple horse.

verb (used with or without object)

dappled, dappling 

1. to mark or become marked with spots.

dapple

/ ˈdæpəl /

verb

1. to mark or become marked with spots or patches of a different colour; mottle

noun

1. mottled or spotted markings

2. a dappled horse, etc

adjective

1. marked with dapples or spots

Word History and Origins

Origin of dapple¹

First recorded in 1545–55; probably back formation from dappled

Word History and Origins

Origin of dapple¹

C14: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Picnic in our backpacks, my husband and I hiked in from the Palomarin Headlands — about 2.5 miles — along cliffs where you can spot gray and humpback whales, and shaded paths where dappled shadows dance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Every time he touches her, the rest of the world seems to disappear: The focus goes shallow, the fine hairs on Brie’s skin dapple in the light, her muscles creak as loudly as tectonic plates.

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As you sit in meditation on a wooden bench, the sunlight dappling across your face, life’s chaos exists just a hundred steps away on the other side of the temple walls.

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"Wouldn't it be useful for English speakers to have a specific word for sunlight dappling through leaves... Or a word for the action of sitting outside enjoying a beer?"

Read more on BBC

“Six Feet Under” is dappled with Lynchian homages – easy enough to explain in a show about a family that dwells in the figurative crawlspace between life and death, whose business is guiding families through loss.

Read more on Salon