mackle

[ mak-uhl ]

/ ˈmæk əl /

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noun

a blur in printing, as from a double impression.

verb (used with or without object), mack·led, mack·ling.

to blur, as from a double impression in printing.

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Also macule.

Origin of mackle

1585–95; variant of earlier macle, makle; earlier maculemacule

Words nearby mackle

Mackinaw boat, Mackinaw coat, Mackinaw trout, Mackinder, mackintosh, mackle, Maclaren, Maclaurin, Maclaurin series, Maclaurin's series, macle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for mackle (1 of 2)

mackle¹

macule (ˈmækjuːl)

/ (ˈmækəl) /

noun

printing a double or blurred impression caused by shifting paper or type

Word Origin for mackle

C16: via French from Latin macula spot, stain

British Dictionary definitions for mackle (2 of 2)

mackle²

/ (ˈmækəl) /

verb mackles, mackled or mackling (tr)

Midland English dialect to mend hurriedly or in a makeshift way

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012