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.
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
Dappled light streamed through redwood trees, making it harder to judge distance, and wind bounced through the trees, changing the direction of their casts.
From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2018
Dappled with humor and willful defiance, “The Pen” is a portrait in miniature of living with mental illness, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.
From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2016
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
Then we dived into Sparhawk Wood, and came out again on the country cross-road along which Bailiff Ball had seen Dappled Bess plunging madly with her empty cart.
From Deep Moat Grange by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
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.
