mottle

American  

[mot-l] / ˈmɒt l /

verb (used with object)

mottled, mottling

1. to mark or diversify with spots or blotches of a different color or shade.

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noun

1. a diversifying spot or blotch of color.

2. mottled coloring or pattern.

mottle British  

/ ˈmɒtəl /

verb

1. (tr) to colour with streaks or blotches of different shades

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noun

1. a mottled appearance, as of the surface of marble

2. one streak or blotch of colour in a mottled surface

Other Word Forms

• mottlement
  noun
• mottler
  noun

Etymology

Origin of mottle

First recorded in 1670–80; probably back formation from motley

Explanation

To mottle is to speckle or dapple with dots. An artist might mottle a canvas by dripping splotches of paint on it. You can also use mottle as a noun, for a patchy arrangement of color or light: "The dog's fur was a mottle of brown and black." The adjective mottled is more common than mottle for describing things marked with spots or blotches, and both words come from motley, which today means "mismatched" but was originally defined as "multicolored."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mottle mottled mottling

On Jan. 2, nurses reported that the patient’s breathing was shallower, with her toes beginning to mottle as her heart stopped pumping blood that far down.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 3, 2023

Then there was the salt: sprinkled generously enough to mottle the fry’s golden skin and amplify the earthy flavors trapped inside.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 7, 2022

The online class from 12:30-2:15 p.m. will cover identification of blossom brown rot, bacterial canker, cherry mottle leaf, shothole, cherry bark tortrix and tent caterpillar.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2021

We meet patients sodden with uncontrollable mood swings, watch their faces mottle with determination as they fight to recall the three words—blue, monkey, table—we asked them to remember just minutes ago.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 30, 2020

A mottle of clouds sheds moving shadows over the hill-crests, and relieves them from the appalling monotony of yesterday.

From The Land of Midian — Volume 1 by Sir Richard Francis Burton

Soon enough, trees everywhere were showing blotchy, mottled, yellowed leaves and suffering from twig dieback and sparse foliage.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

Bartram's bass display a light golden color with dark brown blotches along their sides, a mottled belly, and fins with a rosy tint.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 23, 2026

In adults, symptoms can include but are not limited to slurred speech, extreme shivering or muscle pain, severe breathlessness and skin that is mottled or discoloured.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Skaters say the structure—brutalist water-pumping limbs of mottled white concrete that rise out of the ground near the waterfront—is an icon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

It seemed almost to smile, showing a mouthful of mottled teeth.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Mr Johnson said there was no corresponding doctor's note for this examination of "mottling".

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2023

On the morning of Jan. 3, the patient showed more signs of mottling and had instances of apnea where she stopped breathing.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 3, 2023

We’ve had one batch of red beans and rice that did, unfortunately, leave the bottom with some permanent, faint mottling, but overall, after six months of vigorous testing, it’s held up excellently.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2020

“I think it’s about due for another polish,” Duffy says, noting some rusty mottling on the mirror.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 10, 2018

There was no dark mottling or crater chains in the position of most of his canals.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan