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splotch

[sploch]
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noun
  1. a large, irregular spot; blot; stain; blotch.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to mark or cover with splotches.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to be susceptible to stains or blots; show or retain stains, blots, or spots of dirt or liquid: Don't buy that tablecloth—the material splotches easily.
  2. to cause or be liable to cause stains, blots, or spots: Be careful of that paint—it splotches.
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Origin of splotch

First recorded in 1595–1605; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

blotchfleckblobsmudgestainblotspotblemishdashsmutchsmearmarkdaub

Examples from the Web for splotch

Historical Examples

  • They dab a splotch of sheep-dip on the place and go right ahead.

    Following the Equator, Complete

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

  • This after-dinner note had a splotch on it not yet quite dry.

  • Her hair flamed bright in a splotch of sun as she got to her feet.

    Three Soldiers

    John Dos Passos

  • But my mother, when she turned, saw only a splotch of wet on the outside of the glass.

    The Unknown Quantity

    Henry van Dyke

  • There was a splotch of blood on the palm and another on the under side of the thumb.

    The Coming of the Law

    Charles Alden Seltzer

British Dictionary definitions for splotch

splotch

noun, verb
  1. the usual US word for splodge
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Derived Formssplotchy, adjective

Word Origin

C17: perhaps a blend of spot + blotch
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

Word Origin and History for splotch

n.

c.1600, perhaps a blend of spot, blot, and/or botch. Related: Splotchy; splotchiness.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper