speck

[spek]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of speck¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of speck¹

Old English specca; related to Middle Dutch spekelen to sprinkle

Example Sentences

We were just specks in the ocean, as tiny as a velella or an anchovy, part of a big, watery world.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These allusions to Ireland are ever-present in the band’s creations, with titles such as “Tir na nÓg” and “Connla’s Well” specked across their discography.

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To ensure there’s never a speck of dust on the floor, Herbert and his crew use electric leaf blowers each day to clean the massive space.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Actually, he arrived at Flushing Meadows with no hairdo — as in no hair at all, aside from some teeny, tiny specks on his head that come to a widow’s peak.

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In Sydney's historic Rocks precinct, a cobblestoned alleyway has been transformed into a winter wonderland for two weeks of Christmas in July markets, complete with fake snow machines churning specks of foam onto passersby.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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