speckle
Americannoun
-
a small speck, spot, or mark, as on skin.
-
speckled coloring or marking.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of speckle
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at speck, -le
Explanation
A speckle is a dot or dash of something — you might think you've painted the living room without spilling any paint, only to find a speckle of purple in the middle of the rug. Young children pouring their own cereal often leave a speckle of milk on the counter no matter how careful they are. You can also use speckle as a verb meaning "to scatter" or "to dot." For example, you could describe the black spots that speckle your cat, or talk about the stars that speckle the sky. Speckle most likely comes from the Old English word specca, "small spot or speck."
Vocabulary lists containing speckle
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Imaging RPE cells with AO-OCT comes with new challenges, including a phenomenon called speckle.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024
On this bright March afternoon, hundreds of colorful wooden fishing boats speckle the crystalline water below as we sail toward Hon Thom Island.
From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2023
But instead of seeking to speckle them with familiar, Earthly worlds, we can give in to the alienation and embrace the loneliness, let it transmute into a new kind of awe.
From Slate • Jul. 13, 2022
As cancellations increasingly speckle a busy fall concert calendar, the team behind Day In Day Out, Seattle’s first major music festival since the pandemic, was dealt a last-minute blow.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2021
The sky above them was stormy, and as they sailed closer, rain began to speckle the surface of the sea.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
