flyspeck

American  

[flahy-spek] / ˈflaɪˌspɛk /

noun

1. a speck or tiny stain from the excrement of a fly.

2. any minute spot.

3. Plant Pathology. a disease of pome fruits, characterized by small, raised, dark spots on the fruit, caused by a fungus, Leptothyrium pomi.

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verb (used with object)

1. to mark with flyspecks.

flyspeck British  

/ ˈflaɪˌspɛk /

noun

1. the small speck of the excrement of a fly

2. a small spot or speck

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verb

1. (tr) to mark with flyspecks

Etymology

Origin of flyspeck

First recorded in 1850–55; fly ¹ + speck

Example Sentences

The 17-year-old best friends are neighbors in a flyspeck California town in the Mojave Desert.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

More procedural requirements mean more chances for a judge to flyspeck some aspect of rulemaking.

From Slate • Jan. 10, 2023

The level of funding required would be a flyspeck in the military budget, not an endless boondoggle.

From Washington Times • Apr. 9, 2018

We drove west from Cuzco to meet our mules in the flyspeck town of Cachora.

From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2011

But to me his ambitions seemed futile, and the whole of Long Island less important than a flyspeck on the map of the world.

From The Lightning Conductor Discovers America by Williamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)

Related Words

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