stipple

[ stip-uh l ]

/ ˈstɪp əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stipple ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), stip·pled, stip·pling.

to paint, engrave, or draw by means of dots or small touches.

noun Also stip·pling.

the method of painting, engraving, etc., by stippling.

stippled work; a painting, engraving, or the like, executed by means of dots or small spots.

RELATED WORDS

draw, dab, paint, engrave, carve, dot

Nearby words

stipes, stipitate, stipites, stipitiform, stipo, stipple, stippled, stippled epiphysis, stippling, stipulate, stipulation

Origin of stipple

1660–70; < Dutch stippelen, frequentative of stippen to dot, derivative of stip dot

Related formsstip·pler, nounun·stip·pled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stipple

In the really handsome fan engraved in stipple by Godefroy we have an apotheosis of Bonaparte.
History of the Fan|George Woolliscroft Rhead
Even the dots of a stipple are not made in that aimless fashion which their appearance might at first suggest.
Engraving for Illustration|Joseph Kirkbride
Let the grain or stipple be seen in all parts suitable in fineness to the size of the head.
Photography in the Studio and in the Field|Edward M. Estabrooke
This shows the stipple effect in the face and drapery, and a broken line effect in the background.
Crayon Portraiture|Jerome A. Barhydt

In stipple engraving, the burin and the dry point are used alternately, according to the degree of vigour or delicacy required.
Engraving: Its Origin, Processes, and History|Henri Delaborde

British Dictionary definitions for stipple

stipple

/ (ˈstɪpəl) /

verb (tr)

to draw, engrave, or paint using dots or flecks

to apply paint, powder, etc, to (something) with many light dabs

to give (wet paint, cement, etc) a granular effect

noun Also: stippling

the technique of stippling or a picture produced by or using stippling

Derived Formsstippler, noun

Word Origin for stipple

C18: from Dutch stippelen, from stippen to prick, from stip point

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 stipple

stipple

1670s, from Dutch stippelen "to make points," frequentative of stippen "to prick, speckle," from stip "a point," probably ultimately from PIE root *st(e)ig- "pointed" (see stick (v.)).