dapple

American  

[dap-uhl] / ˈdæp əl /

noun

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

2. an animal with a mottled skin or coat.

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adjective

1. dappled; spotted.

   a dapple horse.

verb (used with or without object)

dappled, dappling

1. to mark or become marked with spots.

dapple British  

/ ˈdæpəl /

verb

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

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noun

1. mottled or spotted markings

2. a dappled horse, etc

adjective

1. marked with dapples or spots

Etymology

Origin of dapple

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

Explanation

To dapple is to dot with blotches of color or light, the way sunlight dapples the leaves of trees in the summertime. You can use dapple as a verb or a noun: "I saw a dapple of yellow paint on the floor after I finished painting my bedroom wall." Writers often describe the way sunshine and moonlight dapple things, forming irregular spots and patches. Sometimes animal fur or skin is described as dappled, or a color such as dapple-gray, an adjective which—strangely enough—was originally apple-gray.

Example Sentences

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.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2025

So when the rain comes, it doesn't just dapple us with light sprinkles, it drops the heavier load of moisture that has been accumulating for a longer time.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2023

Gleaming spots caused by methane ice clouds in the planet's atmosphere dapple its lower half.

From Scientific American • Dec. 20, 2022

Horse-drawn carriages click-clack around the lush public squares that dapple the map.

From Washington Post • Jul. 31, 2018

“Chemistry mostly, and I dapple in the Archives with Puppet sometimes.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss