speck

American  

[spek] / spɛk /

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.

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verb (used with object)

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

speck British  

/ spɛk /

noun

1. a very small mark or spot

2. a small or tiny piece of something

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verb

1. (tr) to mark with specks or spots

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of speck

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

Example Sentences

The production invoked the historical paintings of Hildegard’s visions as well as modern interpretations of them, using videos in which swirling specks of colored light coalesced into figures.

From The Wall Street Journal

"If there's a speck of dust in your eye, you just get rid of it, right?"

From BBC

We took that little bitty speck of music and it’s global now.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s just a speck, so I still consider it a win.

From Literature

A speck of an island with a land area of 171 square miles, Curacao is 40 miles north of Venezuela.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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