dappled
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dappled
1350–1400; Middle English, probably < Scandinavian; akin to Old Norse depill spot
Explanation
Dappled is an adjective that means marked with spots or rounded patches. If you can picture Bambi's dappled rear, then you are on the right track. The origins of dappled are a bit mysterious. Its use as an adjective may date from around 1400, from a Middle English word that referred to the markings on an apple, or maybe to gray horses with round blotches that resembled apples. Dappled is usually used to describe markings on a horse or a deer, though photographers also appreciate "the dappled effect of sunlight filtered through leaves."
Vocabulary lists containing dappled
The Kite Runner
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"The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats
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"The Song of Wandering Aengus" and "Sonnet 43," Vocabulary from the poems
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight” is a dreamy psychological thriller set in Japan.
From New York Times • Jul. 24, 2022
Flickering, fragmented, stifled, wavering, twisting, turning — this impression, more than any particulars of plot or character, is what makes “Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight” memorable.
From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2022
Dappled sunlight, in close-up, illuminates sweat on the outside, and on the inside, the fury and defiance lodged deep within their eyes and spirit.
From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2022
Vivid Harmonies in the Dappled Shade Charles Ives represents the newer end of the compositional spectrum on many programs.
From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2012
The Dappled Gray stopped eating and stood perfectly still to listen.
From Among the Farmyard People by Gordon, F.C.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
