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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

Examples from the Web for splotches

Historical Examples

  • And there were the splotches of pigment of which Calhoun had heard.

    Pariah Planet

    Murray Leinster

  • "Then your parents had the splotches fade, so you never had them," he said absorbedly.

    Pariah Planet

    Murray Leinster

  • See, there are only splotches about, from various cuts he received.

  • There were splotches of brown on the backs of their hands, and on the temples and forehead.

    Gigolo

    Edna Ferber

  • He was just eating supper when we called; there were splotches of white plaster on his trousers.

    The Blind Spot

    Austin Hall

British Dictionary definitions for splotches

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 splotches

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