speck

[spek]

noun

1. a small spot differing in color or substance from that of the surface or material upon which it appears or lies.

   Specks of soot on the window sill.

2. a very little bit or particle.

   We haven't a speck of sugar.

3. something appearing small by comparison or by reason of distance.

   By then the town was just a speck.

verb (used with object)

1. to mark with, or as with, a speck or specks.

speck

/ spɛk /

noun

1. a very small mark or spot

2. a small or tiny piece of something

verb

1. (tr) to mark with specks or spots

Other Word Forms

• speckedness noun
• speckless adjective
• specklessly adverb
• specklessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of speck¹

before 900; Middle English specke, Old English specca; cognate with Dutch spikkel

Word History and Origins

Origin of speck¹

Old English specca; related to Middle Dutch spekelen to sprinkle

Example Sentences

First, they begin as tiny little specks of dust, forming inside the clouds of gas around baby stars, which are known as protoplanetary discs.

Read more on Space Scoop

I reason that it’s probably from the lack of sleep, or a speck of dirt that blew into my eye.

Read more on Literature

It was enough to make a person feel no more than a speck, a scrap of flotsam or jetsam tossing in the waves, to be cast willy-nilly into such an unimaginable expanse.

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Some cried out against the baroness’s words, while others agreed with Lady Constance, for truly, the cake had been scrumptious, and there was hardly a speck of it left on anyone’s plate.

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Once it started drizzling, Roz carefully washed herself from head to toe, and by the time the clouds passed, every speck of poison tide had rinsed off her body and trickled into the ocean.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

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