fleck
Americannoun
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a speck; a small bit.
a fleck of dirt.
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a spot or small patch of color, light, etc..
the dapple mare with flecks of gray.
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a spot or mark on the skin, as a freckle.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a small marking or streak; speckle
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a small particle; speck
a fleck of dust
verb
Other Word Forms
- fleckless adjective
- flecklessly adverb
- flecky adjective
- unflecked adjective
Etymology
Origin of fleck
1350–1400; Middle English flekked spotted; akin to Old Norse flekkr spot, streak, Old High German flec ( German Fleck ), Middle Low German, Middle Dutch vlecken to soil
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.
A nanoparticle is a fleck of material ranging in size approximately between 1 and 100 nanometers.
From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024
In the resulting enigmatic dreamscapes, muted purples, cornflower blues and soft ochres bloom and spatter and fleck in surprising, delicate ways.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024
When they dialed the pressure back up to as little as 0.3 gigapascals, the blue fleck turned pink as the electrical resistance plunged to zero.
From Science Magazine • Mar. 8, 2023
It’s an economy that makes me feel like the zillionth scampering fleck in some global ant farm.
From New York Times • Feb. 17, 2022
You have yet to wash your own underwear, spread a bed, wipe the ring from your tub, or move a fleck of your dirt from one place to another.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
