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definitions

splotch

[sploch]
See more synonyms for splotch on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a large, irregular spot; blot; stain; blotch.
verb (used with object)
  1. to mark or cover with splotches.
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.

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 for splotches

blotch, fleck, blob, smudge, stain, blot, spot, blemish, dash, smutch, smear, mark, daub

Examples from the Web for splotches

Historical Examples of splotches

  • 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
Derived Formssplotchy, adjective

Word Origin for splotch

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper