motleyn.adj.

Brit.

/ˈmɒtli/, U.S.

/ˈmɑtli/

Forms: Middle English motele, Middle English motlay, Middle English motle, Middle English motlee, Middle English motlegh, Middle English motleye, Middle English motli (in a late copy), Middle English mottelay, Middle English mottle, Middle English–1500s motteley, Middle English–1700s motly, Middle English– motley, 1500s moteley, 1500s mothey (transmission error), 1500s motlei, 1500s–1600s moatley, 1500s–1600s moatly, 1600s mothie (transmission error), 1600s mothly, 1600s mothy (transmission error), 1600s motlie, 1600s–1700s motely, 1700s moltey (irregular), 1800s– motlier (comparative), 1800s– motliest (superlative); Scottish pre-1700 motlay, pre-1700 motlaye, 1700s– motley.

Origin: Of unknown origin.

Etymology: Origin unknown; compare Anglo-Norman motlé , motlegh , motley (adjective) variegated, (noun) cloth of various colours (late 14th cent.), although the direction of borrowing is unclear. Perhaps related to medley n. and adj. (compare sense 2 s.v.), or perhaps a remodelling of another word after this; perhaps compare mote n.¹ or motey n.

A. n.

a. Cloth woven from threads of two or more colours; a piece of this cloth. See also motley-maker n. at Compounds 2. Now historical.In early quots. evidently a fine fabric, but often used in the 16th and 17th centuries for a coarse cloth. Quot. a1657 is influenced by, and may belong to, sense A. 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric of specific colour > [noun] > multicoloured

mellay1341

motley1371

marvel1543

marble1555

verry1603

mixture1682

mixed cloth1696

1371 in M. T. Löfvenberg Contrib. Middle Eng. Lexicogr. & Etymol. (1946) 41 (MED) [Three cloths of] motele..[a parti-coloured (bipartitum) hood with one half of] motle.

c1387–95 G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. 271 A marchant was there..In motlee [v.rr. motle, mottle, motteley], and hye on hors he sat.

1394–5 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 598 In uno panno viridi cum xx uln. de Motly pro garniamentis estivalibus.

1467–8 Rolls of Parl. V. 620/1 Double Motleys, vii yerdes longe..and sengle Motleys, vi yerdes longe.

1487–8 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 135 Paide for mendyng of a vestmente of worstede Motleye, xij d.

1553 J. Withals Shorte Dict. f. 36/1 He that maketh motley, polymitarius.

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. 170 His [sc. the king of Denmark's] chiefe Courtiers..were all attired in an English cloth, which they call Kentish cloth, we call Motley, but much finer then that whereof we make cloakebags.

a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry V clxxvi, in Poems (1878) IV. 145 Clad..in cross-stript Motley.

1952 L. Hotson Shakespeare's Motley iii. 37 Relatively cheap as this traditional green motley for the royal huntsmen was, the kinds known to the ordinary Elizabethan in soldiers' cassocks, cloakbags, saddle-covers, idiots' coats, and mechanicals' jerkins were doubtless cheaper and coarser still.

†b. plural. figurative or in figurative context with reference to the particoloured or variegated appearance of flowers covering the ground, branches, etc. Obsolete.Used frequently by Lydgate, but rarely in other sources.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [noun] > valued plant > flower or plant esteemed for its blossoms > flowery stuff or material

motleysc1425

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 2611 (MED) Þe medwes..Tappid ben with diuerse flouris newe Of sondry motles most lusti for to sene.

a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) vi. 183 (MED) The erthe is clad in motles whiht & rede.

c1450 J. Lydgate Secrees (Sloane 2464) 1378 (MED) Flora..of fflours quene, Hire ffressh motlees she tournyth now Citryne.

c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 115 Hys [sc. the earth's] mantel ys so lusty hewed..wyth motles fressh and fyne.

1675 R. Leigh Poems 42 Their [sc. tulips'] Folds, all unlike their pied Neighbours blown, Various, as Folds of Taffaties appear; All paintings of the Garden show in one, And all the diff'ring Motlies of the Year.

†c. white motley n. Obsolete the white blossom of the hawthorn, having the appearance of particoloured or variegated cloth predominantly white in colour.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > thorny berry-bush > [noun] > hawthorn and allies > branch or blossom

Mayc1450

white motleyc1450

May-bush1579

May blossom1596

c1450 (?a1405) J. Lydgate Complaint Black Knight (Fairf.) 72 in Minor Poems (1934) ii. 385 (MED) Ther saw I eke fressh hawthorne In white motele, that so soote doth smelle.

?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. B.iiij The walles shallbe of hauthorne..And hanged w^t whyte motly y^t swete doth smell.

†2. The dark colour or mottled combination of colours characteristic of coarse motley. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > colour > variegation > [noun] > mixed colour or medley of colours

motley1440

medley1553

particolour1619

brede1708

pepper-and-salt1826

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 345 Motle, colowre, stromaticus.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 246/2 Motley colour, biguarrure.

1552 Act 5 & 6 Edw. VI c. 6 §23 Clothes..of anye other color or colors then..watchett shepes color lyon color motteley or tren [v.r. Iren] grey.

1584 in L. Hotson Shakespeare's Motley (1952) i. 10 A convenient dublett and hose, and also a cassocke of motley or other sad green colour.

a1625 J. Fletcher Womans Prize ii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ooooo/1 Children of five yeare old, like little Fayries Will pinch thee into motley.

a. The particoloured costume of a jester, harlequin, etc. Hence allusively, esp. foolery, nonsense; the profession or practice of a jester, clown, or (occasionally) actor. Frequently in to wear motley and in motley. †a piece of motley: a fool (obsolete rare).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > foolishness, folly > [noun] > action, behaviour

ribaldyc1330

niceheada1475

simpleness?a1475

foolery1562

motley1575

foolationa1635

simples1637

nonsense1678

follying1818

boobery1829

spoonism1839

moonraking1846

lallygagging1868

bohunkus1918

twattery?1979

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > of specific colour > article of

imperial purple1447

motley1575

mazarine1694

fleshings1838

1575 T. Churchyard 1st Pt. Chippes f. 66 ^v A Courtiar soe, can giue a lobbe a licke And dresse a dolt, in Motley for a while And so in sleeue, at sillye wodcocke smile.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 34 A worthy foole: Motley's the onely weare.

a1625 J. Fletcher Wit without Money (1639) iii. sig. F1 Never hope after I cast you off, you men of Motley.

a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Lovers Progres i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Iii4^v/1 How have you work'd This piece of motley to your ends?

a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 225 Their poring upon black and white too subt'ly Has turn'd the Insides of their Brains to motly.

1791 J. O'Keeffe Wild Oats iv. i. 54 Come, Dick, give the Lady a specimen of your talent Motleys [printed Molteys], your only wear, ha, ha, ha, a fool I met, a fool in the forest.

1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe II. xi. 199 I wore russet before I wore motley.

1842 H. Rogers Ess. (1874) I. i. 21 So exuberant is Fuller's wit, that..his very wisdom wears motley.

1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness iii, in Youth 142 In motley, as though he had absconded from a troupe of mimes.

1985 G. Frow Oh, yes it Is! vi. 82 He was diverted from the path of clowning when an aunt, in her will, left him three pounds a week on condition that he renounced the motley.

1993 Tatler July 124/1 He was an unstoppable fund of theatrical stories; ‘We who don the motley,’ was his usual opening.

†b. A fool, a jester. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > pleasure > laughter > causing laughter > [noun] > jest or pleasantry > one who jests or jokes

jangler1303

bourder1330

triflera1382

mower1440

jester?1510

dizzardc1540

patch1549

pleasant1595

fiddle1600

motleya1605

banterer1678

morosoph1693

joker1729

farceur1781

funster1788

plaisanteur1828

cut-up1843

kibitzer1925

a1605 W. Haughton English-men for my Money (1616) sig. F3^v Will not this monsieur Motley take his answer?

1825 J. H. Reynolds in T. Hood & J. H. Reynolds Odes & Addr. 25 But how will they come off, poor motleys, when Sin's wages are paid down, and they stand in The Evil presence?

1873–4 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens III. xiv. viii. 113 Wolsey, in his gown and band, beat all the motleys with their caps and bells.

4. An incongruous, multifarious, or confused mixture or assembly. Frequently with of.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > variety > [noun] > incongruous mixture

hotchpotc1405

hodge-podgec1426

omnigatherum?a1430

mishmashc1475

peasemeala1525

omnium gatherum1530

mingle1548

hotchpotch1549

mingle-mangle1549

gallimaufry1551

rhapsody1574

sauce-medley1579

pell-mellc1586

linsey-woolsey1592

wilderness1594

brewage1599

motley1609

macaronic1611

medley1618

olla podridaa1635

farragoa1637

consarcination1640

porridge1642

olio1645

bisque1653

mélange1653

hash1660

jumble1661

farrage1698

capilotade1705

jargon1710

salmagundi1761

pasticcio1785

pea meal1789

ollapod1804

mixty-maxty1818

macédoine1820

ragbag1820

haggis1822

job lot1828

allsorts1831

conglomerate1837

pot-pourri1841

chow-chow1850

breccia1873

pastiche1873

macaroni1884

mixed bag1919

casserole1930

mixed bunch1958

rattle-bag1982

mulligan1993

1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cx. sig. G3^v I haue gone here and there, And made my selfe a motley to the view.

1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 366 By their joint perverting the Holy Bible sprang up this motly of Blasphemous Dotages.

1840 F. Marryat Poor Jack xxvi. 181 What with troops..Lascars..yellow men, sickly women, and half-caste children..tigers..turtles..goats, and pigs, on the booms and main-deck, the vessel was in a strange motley of confusion.

1864 D. G. Mitchell Wet Days at Edgewood (1884) 72 Interlacing the pages into a motley of patchwork.

1889 Amer. Naturalist 23 494 A motley of white and gray on the head, neck, shoulders, and back.

1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love xiv. 172 ‘My eye!’ said Gudrun, sotto voce, looking at the motley of guests, ‘there's a pretty crowd if you like!’

1980 ‘J. le Carré’ Smiley's People ix. 91 A sixty-foot giant trailer..a motley of foreign registration stickers covering one door.

1988 W. Kennedy Quinn's Bk. 256 The carriages..are the American motley and they carry the motley-minded denizens of a nation at war and at play.

B. adj.

a. Diversified in colour; variegated; particoloured; chequered; multicoloured. Formerly also: †made of motley (sense A. 1a) (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > colour > variegation > [adjective]

fawa700

medleyc1350

freckledc1380

motleyc1380

pied1382

specked1382

vary1382

partyc1385

parted1393

peckleda1400

polymitec1425

sere-colouredc1425

vairc1425

discoloured?1440

motleyed1447

varying1488

sheld1507

fleckered1508

piet1508

mellay1515

particoloured1530

pickled1552

varied1578

mingled1580

partly coloured1582

chequered1592

medley-coloured1593

mingle-coloured1593

piebald1594

feathered1610

changeable1612

particolour1612

enamelled1613

variousa1618

pie-coloured1619

jaspered1620

gangean1623

versicolour1628

patchwork1634

damasked1648

variously-coloureda1660

variegateda1661

agated1665

varicoloured1665

damaska1674

various-coloureda1711

pieted1721

versicoloured1721

diversicoloured1756

mosaic1776

harlequin1779

spanged1788

calico1807

piety1811

varied-coloured1811

discolorate1826

heterochromous1842

jaspé1851

discolor1859

discolorous1860

jasperoid1876

damascened1879

heterochromatic1895

variotinted1903

batik1914

varihued1921

rumbled1930

damasky1931

pepper-and-salt1940

partihued1959

the world > time > change > changeableness > [adjective]

slidinga900

wankleeOE

windyc1000

unsteadfastc1200

fleeting?c1225

loose?c1225

brotelc1315

unstablec1340

varyingc1340

variantc1374

motleyc1380

ungroundedc1380

muablea1393

passiblea1393

remuablea1393

changeablea1398

movablea1398

variablec1397

slidderya1400

ticklec1400

variantc1412

flitting1413

mutable?a1425

movingc1425

flaskisable1430

flickering1430

transmutablec1430

vertible1447

brittlea1450

ficklea1450

permutablec1450

unfirmc1450

uncertain1477

turnable1483

unsteadfast1483

vagrantc1522

inconstant1526

alterable?1531

stirringc1540

slippery1548

various1552

slid?1553

mutala1561

rolling1561

weathery1563

unconstant1568

interchangeable1574

fluctuant1575

stayless1575

transitive1575

voluble1575

changeling1577

queasy1579

desultory1581

huff-puff1582

unstaid1586

vagrant1586

changeful1590

floating1594

Protean1594

unstayed1594

swimming1596

anchorless1597

mobilec1600

ticklish1601

catching1603

labile1603

unrooted1604

quicksilvered1605

versatile1605

insubstantial1607

uncertain1609

brandling1611

rootless1611

squeasy1611

wind-changinga1616

insolid1618

ambulatory1625

versatilous1629

plastic1633

desultorious1637

unbottomed1641

fluid1642

fluent1648

yea-and-nay1648

versipellous1650

flexile1651

uncentred1652

variating1653

chequered1656

slideable1662

transchangeative1662

weathercock-like1663

flicketing1674

fluxa1677

lapsable1678

wanton1681

veering1684

upon the weathercock1702

contingent1703

unsettled?1726

fermentable1731

afloat1757

brickle1768

wavy1795

vagarious1798

unsettled1803

fitful1810

metamorphosical1811

undulating1815

tittupya1817

titubant1817

mutative1818

papier mâché1818

teetotum1819

vacillating1822

capricious1823

sensitive1828

quicksilvery1829

unengrafted1829

fluxionala1834

proteiform1833

liquid1835

tottlish1835

kaleidoscopic1846

versative1846

kaleidoscopical1858

tottery1861

choppy1865

variative1874

variational1879

wimbly-wambly1881

fluctuable1882

shifty1882

giveable1884

shifty1884

tippy1886

mutatory1890

upsettable1890

rocky1897

undulatory1897

streaky1898

tottly1905

tipply1906

up and down1907

inertialess1927

sometimey1946

rise-and-fall1950

switchable1961

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective]

unfastc888

unstathelfasteOE

unsteadfasta1200

fleeting?c1225

changeablea1275

ficklea1275

unstablec1290

waveringc1315

flickerc1325

loose in the haftc1325

motleyc1380

unsadc1384

variablea1387

variantc1386

ticklec1400

inconstant1402

flitting1413

brittle1420

plianta1425

mutablec1425

shittle1440

shittle-witted1448

moonishc1450

unconstant1483

unfirm1483

varying?a1500

pliablea1513

fluctuant1575

changeling1577

shittle-headed1580

cheverel1583

off and on1583

chameleon-like1589

changeful1590

limber1602

unsteady1604

ticklish1606

skittish1609

startling1619

labile1623

uncertaina1625

cheverelized1625

remuant1625

fluctuate1631

fluctuary1632

various1636

contrarious1643

epileptical1646

fluxilea1654

shittle-braineda1655

multivolent1656

totter-headed1662

on and off1668

self-inconsistent1678

weathercocka1680

whifflinga1680

versatile1682

veering1684

fast and loose1697

inconsistent1709

insteadfast1728

unfixing1810

unsteadied1814

chameleonic1821

labefact1874

ballastless1884

weathercocky1886

whiffle-minded1902

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric of specific colour > [adjective]

motleyc1380

varianta1400

shadowed1639

mixture1784

corbeau1810

Lovat1895

tone-on-tone1939

c1380 in Camden Misc. (1924) XIII. 2 (MED) We lefte wt the scollemastyr of Ewuellme..to redde gownis and a motley gown.

1391 in L. T. Smith Exped. Prussia & Holy Land Earl Derby (1894) 8 Pro xxiiij virgis de rubano motteley.

1415 in T. Rymer Fœdera (1709) IX. 273 (MED) iv Capas de Motley Velvet rubeo de auro..Duas Copas de Motley Velwet nigro, rubeo, & viridi.

a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 36 Ȝif þow wolt haue it Motley, take þre pottys..& coloure þat on with Saunderys & þat oþer wyth Safroune & þe þrydde on a-nother degre..an..caste al to-gederys in-to on..and he wol be Motley whan he ys lechyd.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 49/1 Israhel lovyd Joseph..and made for hym a motley cote.

1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall viii The veluet grasse, the holsom herbes, the trees, in motley lyuerie.

1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 16^v When May, with motly robes began his raigne.

1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 50 Hee, whose count-les Herds for Pasture Dis-robe (alone) Mount Carmels moatly Vesture.

1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 130 I had, Smaw gere (at tat tide) but a lether-bagge, A Motley iacket, an a slop of blew, It was my Fadders, I mun tell thee true.

1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote (1652) iv. xxiii. 131 An artificiall Fountain wrought of motly Jasper and smooth Marble.

1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant iii. 36 They make the..motely colours [Fr. bigarures] that are upon the Stuffs with Moulds.

1713 Countess of Winchilsea Misc. Poems 107 These wear no Palatines, nor Muffs, Italian Silks, or Doyley Stuffs, But motley Callicoes, and Ruffs.

1755 T. Smollett tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote II. iii. ix. 255 Two of them..are green, two carnation, two blue, and one motley.

1757 J. Dyer Fleece ii. 51 Where pitch..must stain your motley flock, To mark your property.

1815 Sporting Mag. 46 93 All the ‘Ton's’ a stage, And Fashion's motley votaries are but play'rs.

1849 A. H. Layard Nineveh & Remains I. i. ix. 291 About thirty Cawals in their motley dresses of black and white.

1876 H. James Roderick Hudson iv. 136 She appeared..leading her great snow-white poodle, decorated with motley ribbons.

1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love xxviii. 425 She was wearing a curious dress of dark silk, splashed and spattered with different colours, a curious motley effect.

1977 D. Davie In Stopping Train 13 A hoopoe's wing, King Tereus, Hatred. Crested ravisher, The motley lapwing whoops and whoops it up Greek Street and Fleet Street.

1998 T. Hughes Rag Rug in Birthday Lett. 135 You plaited them Into a rope. You massaged them Into the new life of a motley viper That writhed out of the grave of your wardrobe.

b. spec. Originally designating the distinctive long coat made of motley which was worn by a fool in the late 16th and early 17th centuries; in later use often designating the traditional particoloured costume of a jester, harlequin, etc. Hence allusively: designating such a person or the attributes thought characteristic of such a person. See also motley fool n., motley-minded adj. at Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing clothing for specific people

motley1566

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > for specific people > other

motley1566

uniform1807

groomish1843

hooped1898

come-to-Jesus1908

semi-sports1929

casual1939

scrub1954

1566 T. Churchyard Churchyardes Farewell (single sheet) If the foole had gotte, at his departinge thence A night cap, or a motley coate,..It had bene well enough.

1609 B. Jonson Case is Alterd i. sig. B2^v A Saint would loose his patience to be crost, As I am with a sort of motly braines.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 43 O that I were a foole, I am ambitious for a motley coat.

a1631 J. Donne Poems (1633) 325 Away thou fondling motley humorist.

1725 C. Cibber Cæsar in Ægypt Prol. The mute Exploits of Motley Harlequins.

1738 B. Stillingfleet Ess. Conversat. (ed. 2) 13 The motley coat gave warning for the jest, Excus'd the wound, and sanctify'd the pest.

1814 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II (ed. 7) ii. lxxviii. 108 In motley robe to dance at masking ball.

1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe II. xiii. 240 This same motley gentleman thou art so fond to brother.

1871 W. H. Ainsworth Tower Hill i. i A droll-looking wight, whose vocation was proclaimed by his motley garb.

1904 J. Conrad Nostromo ii. iii. 126 Covered..like the stupid clowning of a harlequin by the spangles of a motley costume.

1969 R. Rendell Best Man to Die x. 95 A band of Morris dancers had assembled. They wore the motley coat of jesters and one of them was hopping around on a hobby horse.

1996 Washington Times (Nexis) 18 Sept. c11 The play's Kaspar wears baggy pants, a motley coat and a bowler.

†c. Of skin: mottled in appearance. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > blemish > [adjective] > spot or mark

maple-faced1608

flesh-marked1682

macular1686

punctiform1839

motley1843

petechiate1890

liver-spotted1955

1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. iv. 51 In some instances the eruption was papular, or a motley appearance of the skin.

a. Of a thing or collection of things: composed of elements of diverse or varied character, form, appearance, etc. Frequently with implication of poor design or organization.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > variety > [adjective] > miscellaneous or heterogeneous > incongruously mixed

medleya1400

intermellé1487

farraginary1538

hotchpotch1556

promiscuous1579

hotchpot1588

pied1594

motley1601

hodge-podge1602

promiscual1602

macaronic1611

farraginous1616

throughother1626

mishmash1652

promiscous1656

hotchpotchly1674

hodge-podging1772

hashy1781

mixty-maxty1786

motleyed1798

gallimaufrical1836

odd-and-end1836

chow-chow1844

speckled1845

ragbag1882

disherent1890

1601 H. Clapham Ælohim-triune xi. sig. D2 What should I tell of hell and al his paines? Of sinnes deuises, and his motlie traines?

1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 98 I could wish such medlie and motlie Designes confined onely to the Ornament of Freezes.

1641 J. Milton Animadversions 24 The motley i[n]coherence of a patch'd Missall.

1693 J. Dryden tr. Persius Satires i. 11 One wou'd enquire, from whence this motley Stile Did first our Roman Purity defile.

1728 A. Pope Dunciad i. 53 There motley Images her fancy strike, Figures ill-pair'd, and Similes unlike.

1796 E. Hamilton Lett. Hindoo Rajah (1811) I. 138 Motely tales of love and murder.

1822 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 11 10 The diction, similes, and metaphors..are somewhat motley and heterogene.

1845 New Statist Acct. Scotl. X. 1203 The plough..was dragged by a yoke of eight oxen, or of four oxen led on by two horses. By means of this motley and formidable cavalcade, the surface of the soil was only scratched.

1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad I. i. 14 The language of France..has left to our day some motley relics.

1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust II. i. iii. 28 Motley fancies blossom may For the fashion of the day.

1956 W. S. Churchill Hist. Eng.-speaking Peoples I. ii. iv. 161 It was a motley, ill-knit collection of states, flung together by the chance of a single marriage, and lacking unity both of purpose and strength.

1985 T. Jones Skin Deep i. 15 I couldn't avoid noticing the motley assortment of motorized two-wheelers.

2000 Atlantic Monthly Aug. 100/2 Viral marketing allows even the motliest start-ups to gain a worldwide audience.

b. Of a gathering or group of people: consisting of people of diverse or varied appearance, character, etc.; miscellaneous. Frequently depreciative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > variety > [adjective] > miscellaneous or heterogeneous > of group of people

motley1648

1648 Parliament-kite No. 14. 82 To the Motly Senate and Synod.

a1698 F. Sheppard Cal. Reform'd in Duke of Buckingham et al. Misc. Wks. (1704) 225 What a motly Checquer'd Assembly of Red-Coats and Wastcoateers!

1735 H. Carey Stage Tyrants 2 A motley Herd Of upstart Witlings to my self preferr'd.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson i. iii. 28 With this motly crew..Pizarro set sail.

1818 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 4 356 As motley and polygeneous an array, as ever found the elements of ruin in disunion.

1846 T. Arnold Hist. Later Rom. Commonw. I. viii. 477 The infantry were..a motley force of Greeks, Cretans, Syrians, and natives of Pontus.

1879 J. Lubbock Addresses, Polit. & Educ. i. 2 In..Singapore, we see a motley population attracted from China, the Malay Peninsula and India.

1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child ii. vi. 184 Among the motley crowd which had made the studio a home in the days of Kirk's bachelorhood had been an artist.

1968 G. Daws Shoals of Time iv. 137 They were a motley group, mostly goldfields opportunist with a sprinkling of revolutionary exiles from Europe.

1986 N.Y. Times 9 Feb. vii. 24/1 He benevolently presides over a lakeside circus and slum that's home to the motliest of crews.

†3. Variable, changeable. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > changeableness > [adjective] > of persons

ficklea1275

mutablec1425

fleeting1553

rolling1561

unbottomed?1674

motley1755

mobile1778

1755 E. Young Centaur v, in Wks. (1757) IV. 221 So motley a creature is man; as mutable, as God is fixed.

1798 T. Holcroft Knave, or Not? v. xi. 88 I have hitherto lived, and fear I shall die Wondering at the enormous vices, and the splendid Virtues, which mingle and form the history of that Motley creature man.

Compounds

C1. Parasynthetic and instrumental, as motley-coloured, motley-faced, motley-peopled, motley-speckled, etc., adjs.

ΚΠ

1598 E. Guilpin Skialetheia i. sig. C4 And motley fac'd Dissimulation, Is crept into our euery fashion.

1676 London Gaz. No. 1114/4 Lost..a Motly-speckled Greyhound.

1799 J. Strutt Compl. View Dress & Habits People of Eng. II. 279 The Merchand [in the Cant. T.]..is clothed in a motley-coloured garment.

1844 J. H. Stocqueler Hand-bk. India 260 This..motley-peopled capital.

1872 Appletons' Jrnl. Aug. 206/3 The motley-colored butcher [sc. a matador] appeared on the scene with his sharp Toledo blade.

1986 V. Hearne Adam's Task (1987) iii. 52 My motley-coated cat..is..contemplating..the curious ways the shadows move round and round.

C2.

† motley dandruff n. Medicine Obsolete rare the superficial dermatomycosis tinea versicolor, characterized by the presence of scaly brown or yellow patches on the trunk and arms.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of visible parts > skin disorders > [noun] > scurfy or scabby state or disease

scurfc1000

scabc1250

scallc1374

lepraa1398

morphoeaa1398

scalledness1398

morphewa1400

scabiesc1400

scale14..

scruff14..

shellsc1400

rove?c1450

scabnessc1450

scabbedness1483

scaldness1527

scurfinessa1529

scaledness1530

dandruff1545

skalfering1561

bran1574

room1578

reefa1585

scabbiness1584

scald1598

skilfers1599

scabiosity1608

scalliness1610

scaliness1611

furfur1621

morph1681

pityriasis1684

psoriasis1684

porrigo1706

scaly tetter1799

motley dandruff1822

scale-skin1822

parapsoriasis1903

dander-

1822 J. M. Good Study Med. IV. 573 The variegated or Motley Dandriff, pityriasis versicolor.

motley fool n. a professional fool; also in extended use (usually or always with allusion to quot. a1616).

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 13 I met a foole i'th Forrest, A motley Foole .

1773 J. Robertson Poems (rev. ed.) 235 A madman, knave, and motley fool, Downward once took their way.

c1840 J. H. Lewis Lect. Art of Writing (ed. 7) vi. 84 A motley-fool the thing I mean is, One of the common puffing sheenies.

1885 C. S. Greene in Overland Monthly June 623 And after Shakspere come a myriad more, Preacher and bard, and sage and motley fool.

1995 Boston Globe (Nexis) 22 Nov. 30 The reason why playwrights should move on from employing homeless people as touchstones and motley fools.

† motley iron n. Obsolete rare a mixture of grey and white iron (cf. mottled iron n. at mottled adj. Compounds 3).

ΚΠ

1665 D. Dudley Mettallum Martis 31 The second sort is called Motley Iron, of which one part of the Sowes or Piggs is gray, the other part is white intermixt.

† motley-maker n. Obsolete a maker of motley cloth.

ΚΠ

1407 in B. Thuresson Middle Eng. Occup. Terms (1950) 210 (MED) Joh. Thornton, motlemaker.

c1415 in M. D. Harris Reg. Guild Holy Trinity, Coventry (1935) 39 (MED) Johannes Bromley, Motley-maker.

motley-minded adj. muddle-headed, nonsensical; fickle, inconstant, irresponsible; cf. sense A. 1b.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) v. iv. 41 This is the Motley-minded Gentleman.

1752 G. A. Stevens Distress upon Distress ii. 86 Each Brute, from Instinct, feels a separate Taste, But motley-minded Man mimics them all.

1872 J. G. Whittier Pennsylvania Pilgrim & Other Poems 32 His forest home no hermit's Guests, motley-minded, drew And held armed truce upon its neutral ground.

1896 Overland Monthly Sept. 314/2 Among the ‘Silverites’, so-called, we find a motley-minded array, evolving tenets and principles that challenge all established law and precedent.

1988 W. Kennedy Quinn's Bk. 256 The carriages..carry the motley-minded denizens of a nation at war and at play.

† motley-scorn n. Obsolete rare a fool's or jester's cap; = coxcomb n. 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > performance of jester or comedian > [noun] > jester's cap

coxcomba1529

motley-scorn1600

cap and bauble1663

cap and bells1884

1600 T. Dekker Old Fortunatus sig. C4 Poore Vertue..Why is this Motley-scorne set on thy head?

Derivatives

† motley-like adv. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Bigarrément, diuersly, of sundrie colours, motley-like.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	motley
释义	motleyn.adj. Brit. /ˈmɒtli/, U.S. /ˈmɑtli/ Forms: Middle English motele, Middle English motlay, Middle English motle, Middle English motlee, Middle English motlegh, Middle English motleye, Middle English motli (in a late copy), Middle English mottelay, Middle English mottle, Middle English–1500s motteley, Middle English–1700s motly, Middle English– motley, 1500s moteley, 1500s mothey (transmission error), 1500s motlei, 1500s–1600s moatley, 1500s–1600s moatly, 1600s mothie (transmission error), 1600s mothly, 1600s mothy (transmission error), 1600s motlie, 1600s–1700s motely, 1700s moltey (irregular), 1800s– motlier (comparative), 1800s– motliest (superlative); Scottish pre-1700 motlay, pre-1700 motlaye, 1700s– motley. Origin: Of unknown origin. Etymology: Origin unknown; compare Anglo-Norman motlé , motlegh , motley (adjective) variegated, (noun) cloth of various colours (late 14th cent.), although the direction of borrowing is unclear. Perhaps related to medley n. and adj. (compare sense 2 s.v.), or perhaps a remodelling of another word after this; perhaps compare mote n.¹ or motey n. A. n. 1. a. Cloth woven from threads of two or more colours; a piece of this cloth. See also motley-maker n. at Compounds 2. Now historical.In early quots. evidently a fine fabric, but often used in the 16th and 17th centuries for a coarse cloth. Quot. a1657 is influenced by, and may belong to, sense A. 3a. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric of specific colour > [noun] > multicoloured mellay1341 motley1371 marvel1543 marble1555 verry1603 mixture1682 mixed cloth1696 1371 in M. T. Löfvenberg Contrib. Middle Eng. Lexicogr. & Etymol. (1946) 41 (MED) [Three cloths of] motele..[a parti-coloured (bipartitum) hood with one half of] motle. c1387–95 G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. 271 A marchant was there..In motlee [v.rr. motle, mottle, motteley], and hye on hors he sat. 1394–5 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 598 In uno panno viridi cum xx uln. de Motly pro garniamentis estivalibus. 1467–8 Rolls of Parl. V. 620/1 Double Motleys, vii yerdes longe..and sengle Motleys, vi yerdes longe. 1487–8 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 135 Paide for mendyng of a vestmente of worstede Motleye, xij d. 1553 J. Withals Shorte Dict. f. 36/1 He that maketh motley, polymitarius. 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. 170 His [sc. the king of Denmark's] chiefe Courtiers..were all attired in an English cloth, which they call Kentish cloth, we call Motley, but much finer then that whereof we make cloakebags. a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry V clxxvi, in Poems (1878) IV. 145 Clad..in cross-stript Motley. 1952 L. Hotson Shakespeare's Motley iii. 37 Relatively cheap as this traditional green motley for the royal huntsmen was, the kinds known to the ordinary Elizabethan in soldiers' cassocks, cloakbags, saddle-covers, idiots' coats, and mechanicals' jerkins were doubtless cheaper and coarser still. †b. plural. figurative or in figurative context with reference to the particoloured or variegated appearance of flowers covering the ground, branches, etc. Obsolete.Used frequently by Lydgate, but rarely in other sources. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [noun] > valued plant > flower or plant esteemed for its blossoms > flowery stuff or material motleysc1425 c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 2611 (MED) Þe medwes..Tappid ben with diuerse flouris newe Of sondry motles most lusti for to sene. a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) vi. 183 (MED) The erthe is clad in motles whiht & rede. c1450 J. Lydgate Secrees (Sloane 2464) 1378 (MED) Flora..of fflours quene, Hire ffressh motlees she tournyth now Citryne. c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 115 Hys [sc. the earth's] mantel ys so lusty hewed..wyth motles fressh and fyne. 1675 R. Leigh Poems 42 Their [sc. tulips'] Folds, all unlike their pied Neighbours blown, Various, as Folds of Taffaties appear; All paintings of the Garden show in one, And all the diff'ring Motlies of the Year. †c. white motley n. Obsolete the white blossom of the hawthorn, having the appearance of particoloured or variegated cloth predominantly white in colour. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > thorny berry-bush > [noun] > hawthorn and allies > branch or blossom Mayc1450 white motleyc1450 May-bush1579 May blossom1596 c1450 (?a1405) J. Lydgate Complaint Black Knight (Fairf.) 72 in Minor Poems (1934) ii. 385 (MED) Ther saw I eke fressh hawthorne In white motele, that so soote doth smelle. ?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. B.iiij The walles shallbe of hauthorne..And hanged w^t whyte motly y^t swete doth smell. †2. The dark colour or mottled combination of colours characteristic of coarse motley. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > variegation > [noun] > mixed colour or medley of colours motley1440 medley1553 particolour1619 brede1708 pepper-and-salt1826 Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 345 Motle, colowre, stromaticus. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 246/2 Motley colour, biguarrure. 1552 Act 5 & 6 Edw. VI c. 6 §23 Clothes..of anye other color or colors then..watchett shepes color lyon color motteley or tren [v.r. Iren] grey. 1584 in L. Hotson Shakespeare's Motley (1952) i. 10 A convenient dublett and hose, and also a cassocke of motley or other sad green colour. a1625 J. Fletcher Womans Prize ii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ooooo/1 Children of five yeare old, like little Fayries Will pinch thee into motley. 3. a. The particoloured costume of a jester, harlequin, etc. Hence allusively, esp. foolery, nonsense; the profession or practice of a jester, clown, or (occasionally) actor. Frequently in to wear motley and in motley. †a piece of motley: a fool (obsolete rare). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > foolishness, folly > [noun] > action, behaviour ribaldyc1330 niceheada1475 simpleness?a1475 foolery1562 motley1575 foolationa1635 simples1637 nonsense1678 follying1818 boobery1829 spoonism1839 moonraking1846 lallygagging1868 bohunkus1918 twattery?1979 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > of specific colour > article of imperial purple1447 motley1575 mazarine1694 fleshings1838 1575 T. Churchyard 1st Pt. Chippes f. 66 ^v A Courtiar soe, can giue a lobbe a licke And dresse a dolt, in Motley for a while And so in sleeue, at sillye wodcocke smile. a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 34 A worthy foole: Motley's the onely weare. View more context for this quotation a1625 J. Fletcher Wit without Money (1639) iii. sig. F1 Never hope after I cast you off, you men of Motley. a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Lovers Progres i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Iii4^v/1 How have you work'd This piece of motley to your ends? a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 225 Their poring upon black and white too subt'ly Has turn'd the Insides of their Brains to motly. 1791 J. O'Keeffe Wild Oats iv. i. 54 Come, Dick, give the Lady a specimen of your talent Motleys [printed Molteys], your only wear, ha, ha, ha, a fool I met, a fool in the forest. 1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe II. xi. 199 I wore russet before I wore motley. 1842 H. Rogers Ess. (1874) I. i. 21 So exuberant is Fuller's wit, that..his very wisdom wears motley. 1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness iii, in Youth 142 In motley, as though he had absconded from a troupe of mimes. 1985 G. Frow Oh, yes it Is! vi. 82 He was diverted from the path of clowning when an aunt, in her will, left him three pounds a week on condition that he renounced the motley. 1993 Tatler July 124/1 He was an unstoppable fund of theatrical stories; ‘We who don the motley,’ was his usual opening. †b. A fool, a jester. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > pleasure > laughter > causing laughter > [noun] > jest or pleasantry > one who jests or jokes jangler1303 bourder1330 triflera1382 mower1440 jester?1510 dizzardc1540 patch1549 pleasant1595 fiddle1600 motleya1605 banterer1678 morosoph1693 joker1729 farceur1781 funster1788 plaisanteur1828 cut-up1843 kibitzer1925 a1605 W. Haughton English-men for my Money (1616) sig. F3^v Will not this monsieur Motley take his answer? 1825 J. H. Reynolds in T. Hood & J. H. Reynolds Odes & Addr. 25 But how will they come off, poor motleys, when Sin's wages are paid down, and they stand in The Evil presence? 1873–4 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens III. xiv. viii. 113 Wolsey, in his gown and band, beat all the motleys with their caps and bells. 4. An incongruous, multifarious, or confused mixture or assembly. Frequently with of. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > variety > [noun] > incongruous mixture hotchpotc1405 hodge-podgec1426 omnigatherum?a1430 mishmashc1475 peasemeala1525 omnium gatherum1530 mingle1548 hotchpotch1549 mingle-mangle1549 gallimaufry1551 rhapsody1574 sauce-medley1579 pell-mellc1586 linsey-woolsey1592 wilderness1594 brewage1599 motley1609 macaronic1611 medley1618 olla podridaa1635 farragoa1637 consarcination1640 porridge1642 olio1645 bisque1653 mélange1653 hash1660 jumble1661 farrage1698 capilotade1705 jargon1710 salmagundi1761 pasticcio1785 pea meal1789 ollapod1804 mixty-maxty1818 macédoine1820 ragbag1820 haggis1822 job lot1828 allsorts1831 conglomerate1837 pot-pourri1841 chow-chow1850 breccia1873 pastiche1873 macaroni1884 mixed bag1919 casserole1930 mixed bunch1958 rattle-bag1982 mulligan1993 1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cx. sig. G3^v I haue gone here and there, And made my selfe a motley to the view. View more context for this quotation 1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 366 By their joint perverting the Holy Bible sprang up this motly of Blasphemous Dotages. 1840 F. Marryat Poor Jack xxvi. 181 What with troops..Lascars..yellow men, sickly women, and half-caste children..tigers..turtles..goats, and pigs, on the booms and main-deck, the vessel was in a strange motley of confusion. 1864 D. G. Mitchell Wet Days at Edgewood (1884) 72 Interlacing the pages into a motley of patchwork. 1889 Amer. Naturalist 23 494 A motley of white and gray on the head, neck, shoulders, and back. 1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love xiv. 172 ‘My eye!’ said Gudrun, sotto voce, looking at the motley of guests, ‘there's a pretty crowd if you like!’ 1980 ‘J. le Carré’ Smiley's People ix. 91 A sixty-foot giant trailer..a motley of foreign registration stickers covering one door. 1988 W. Kennedy Quinn's Bk. 256 The carriages..are the American motley and they carry the motley-minded denizens of a nation at war and at play. B. adj. 1. a. Diversified in colour; variegated; particoloured; chequered; multicoloured. Formerly also: †made of motley (sense A. 1a) (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > variegation > [adjective] fawa700 medleyc1350 freckledc1380 motleyc1380 pied1382 specked1382 vary1382 partyc1385 parted1393 peckleda1400 polymitec1425 sere-colouredc1425 vairc1425 discoloured?1440 motleyed1447 varying1488 sheld1507 fleckered1508 piet1508 mellay1515 particoloured1530 pickled1552 varied1578 mingled1580 partly coloured1582 chequered1592 medley-coloured1593 mingle-coloured1593 piebald1594 feathered1610 changeable1612 particolour1612 enamelled1613 variousa1618 pie-coloured1619 jaspered1620 gangean1623 versicolour1628 patchwork1634 damasked1648 variously-coloureda1660 variegateda1661 agated1665 varicoloured1665 damaska1674 various-coloureda1711 pieted1721 versicoloured1721 diversicoloured1756 mosaic1776 harlequin1779 spanged1788 calico1807 piety1811 varied-coloured1811 discolorate1826 heterochromous1842 jaspé1851 discolor1859 discolorous1860 jasperoid1876 damascened1879 heterochromatic1895 variotinted1903 batik1914 varihued1921 rumbled1930 damasky1931 pepper-and-salt1940 partihued1959 the world > time > change > changeableness > [adjective] slidinga900 wankleeOE windyc1000 unsteadfastc1200 fleeting?c1225 loose?c1225 brotelc1315 unstablec1340 varyingc1340 variantc1374 motleyc1380 ungroundedc1380 muablea1393 passiblea1393 remuablea1393 changeablea1398 movablea1398 variablec1397 slidderya1400 ticklec1400 variantc1412 flitting1413 mutable?a1425 movingc1425 flaskisable1430 flickering1430 transmutablec1430 vertible1447 brittlea1450 ficklea1450 permutablec1450 unfirmc1450 uncertain1477 turnable1483 unsteadfast1483 vagrantc1522 inconstant1526 alterable?1531 stirringc1540 slippery1548 various1552 slid?1553 mutala1561 rolling1561 weathery1563 unconstant1568 interchangeable1574 fluctuant1575 stayless1575 transitive1575 voluble1575 changeling1577 queasy1579 desultory1581 huff-puff1582 unstaid1586 vagrant1586 changeful1590 floating1594 Protean1594 unstayed1594 swimming1596 anchorless1597 mobilec1600 ticklish1601 catching1603 labile1603 unrooted1604 quicksilvered1605 versatile1605 insubstantial1607 uncertain1609 brandling1611 rootless1611 squeasy1611 wind-changinga1616 insolid1618 ambulatory1625 versatilous1629 plastic1633 desultorious1637 unbottomed1641 fluid1642 fluent1648 yea-and-nay1648 versipellous1650 flexile1651 uncentred1652 variating1653 chequered1656 slideable1662 transchangeative1662 weathercock-like1663 flicketing1674 fluxa1677 lapsable1678 wanton1681 veering1684 upon the weathercock1702 contingent1703 unsettled?1726 fermentable1731 afloat1757 brickle1768 wavy1795 vagarious1798 unsettled1803 fitful1810 metamorphosical1811 undulating1815 tittupya1817 titubant1817 mutative1818 papier mâché1818 teetotum1819 vacillating1822 capricious1823 sensitive1828 quicksilvery1829 unengrafted1829 fluxionala1834 proteiform1833 liquid1835 tottlish1835 kaleidoscopic1846 versative1846 kaleidoscopical1858 tottery1861 choppy1865 variative1874 variational1879 wimbly-wambly1881 fluctuable1882 shifty1882 giveable1884 shifty1884 tippy1886 mutatory1890 upsettable1890 rocky1897 undulatory1897 streaky1898 tottly1905 tipply1906 up and down1907 inertialess1927 sometimey1946 rise-and-fall1950 switchable1961 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] unfastc888 unstathelfasteOE unsteadfasta1200 fleeting?c1225 changeablea1275 ficklea1275 unstablec1290 waveringc1315 flickerc1325 loose in the haftc1325 motleyc1380 unsadc1384 variablea1387 variantc1386 ticklec1400 inconstant1402 flitting1413 brittle1420 plianta1425 mutablec1425 shittle1440 shittle-witted1448 moonishc1450 unconstant1483 unfirm1483 varying?a1500 pliablea1513 fluctuant1575 changeling1577 shittle-headed1580 cheverel1583 off and on1583 chameleon-like1589 changeful1590 limber1602 unsteady1604 ticklish1606 skittish1609 startling1619 labile1623 uncertaina1625 cheverelized1625 remuant1625 fluctuate1631 fluctuary1632 various1636 contrarious1643 epileptical1646 fluxilea1654 shittle-braineda1655 multivolent1656 totter-headed1662 on and off1668 self-inconsistent1678 weathercocka1680 whifflinga1680 versatile1682 veering1684 fast and loose1697 inconsistent1709 insteadfast1728 unfixing1810 unsteadied1814 chameleonic1821 labefact1874 ballastless1884 weathercocky1886 whiffle-minded1902 the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric of specific colour > [adjective] motleyc1380 varianta1400 shadowed1639 mixture1784 corbeau1810 Lovat1895 tone-on-tone1939 c1380 in Camden Misc. (1924) XIII. 2 (MED) We lefte wt the scollemastyr of Ewuellme..to redde gownis and a motley gown. 1391 in L. T. Smith Exped. Prussia & Holy Land Earl Derby (1894) 8 Pro xxiiij virgis de rubano motteley. 1415 in T. Rymer Fœdera (1709) IX. 273 (MED) iv Capas de Motley Velvet rubeo de auro..Duas Copas de Motley Velwet nigro, rubeo, & viridi. a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 36 Ȝif þow wolt haue it Motley, take þre pottys..& coloure þat on with Saunderys & þat oþer wyth Safroune & þe þrydde on a-nother degre..an..caste al to-gederys in-to on..and he wol be Motley whan he ys lechyd. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 49/1 Israhel lovyd Joseph..and made for hym a motley cote. 1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall viii The veluet grasse, the holsom herbes, the trees, in motley lyuerie. 1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 16^v When May, with motly robes began his raigne. 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 50 Hee, whose count-les Herds for Pasture Dis-robe (alone) Mount Carmels moatly Vesture. 1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 130 I had, Smaw gere (at tat tide) but a lether-bagge, A Motley iacket, an a slop of blew, It was my Fadders, I mun tell thee true. 1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote (1652) iv. xxiii. 131 An artificiall Fountain wrought of motly Jasper and smooth Marble. 1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant iii. 36 They make the..motely colours [Fr. bigarures] that are upon the Stuffs with Moulds. 1713 Countess of Winchilsea Misc. Poems 107 These wear no Palatines, nor Muffs, Italian Silks, or Doyley Stuffs, But motley Callicoes, and Ruffs. 1755 T. Smollett tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote II. iii. ix. 255 Two of them..are green, two carnation, two blue, and one motley. 1757 J. Dyer Fleece ii. 51 Where pitch..must stain your motley flock, To mark your property. 1815 Sporting Mag. 46 93 All the ‘Ton's’ a stage, And Fashion's motley votaries are but play'rs. 1849 A. H. Layard Nineveh & Remains I. i. ix. 291 About thirty Cawals in their motley dresses of black and white. 1876 H. James Roderick Hudson iv. 136 She appeared..leading her great snow-white poodle, decorated with motley ribbons. 1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love xxviii. 425 She was wearing a curious dress of dark silk, splashed and spattered with different colours, a curious motley effect. 1977 D. Davie In Stopping Train 13 A hoopoe's wing, King Tereus, Hatred. Crested ravisher, The motley lapwing whoops and whoops it up Greek Street and Fleet Street. 1998 T. Hughes Rag Rug in Birthday Lett. 135 You plaited them Into a rope. You massaged them Into the new life of a motley viper That writhed out of the grave of your wardrobe. b. spec. Originally designating the distinctive long coat made of motley which was worn by a fool in the late 16th and early 17th centuries; in later use often designating the traditional particoloured costume of a jester, harlequin, etc. Hence allusively: designating such a person or the attributes thought characteristic of such a person. See also motley fool n., motley-minded adj. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing clothing for specific people motley1566 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > for specific people > other motley1566 uniform1807 groomish1843 hooped1898 come-to-Jesus1908 semi-sports1929 casual1939 scrub1954 1566 T. Churchyard Churchyardes Farewell (single sheet) If the foole had gotte, at his departinge thence A night cap, or a motley coate,..It had bene well enough. 1609 B. Jonson Case is Alterd i. sig. B2^v A Saint would loose his patience to be crost, As I am with a sort of motly braines. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 43 O that I were a foole, I am ambitious for a motley coat. View more context for this quotation a1631 J. Donne Poems (1633) 325 Away thou fondling motley humorist. 1725 C. Cibber Cæsar in Ægypt Prol. The mute Exploits of Motley Harlequins. 1738 B. Stillingfleet Ess. Conversat. (ed. 2) 13 The motley coat gave warning for the jest, Excus'd the wound, and sanctify'd the pest. 1814 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II (ed. 7) ii. lxxviii. 108 In motley robe to dance at masking ball. 1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe II. xiii. 240 This same motley gentleman thou art so fond to brother. 1871 W. H. Ainsworth Tower Hill i. i A droll-looking wight, whose vocation was proclaimed by his motley garb. 1904 J. Conrad Nostromo ii. iii. 126 Covered..like the stupid clowning of a harlequin by the spangles of a motley costume. 1969 R. Rendell Best Man to Die x. 95 A band of Morris dancers had assembled. They wore the motley coat of jesters and one of them was hopping around on a hobby horse. 1996 Washington Times (Nexis) 18 Sept. c11 The play's Kaspar wears baggy pants, a motley coat and a bowler. †c. Of skin: mottled in appearance. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > blemish > [adjective] > spot or mark maple-faced1608 flesh-marked1682 macular1686 punctiform1839 motley1843 petechiate1890 liver-spotted1955 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. iv. 51 In some instances the eruption was papular, or a motley appearance of the skin. 2. a. Of a thing or collection of things: composed of elements of diverse or varied character, form, appearance, etc. Frequently with implication of poor design or organization. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > variety > [adjective] > miscellaneous or heterogeneous > incongruously mixed medleya1400 intermellé1487 farraginary1538 hotchpotch1556 promiscuous1579 hotchpot1588 pied1594 motley1601 hodge-podge1602 promiscual1602 macaronic1611 farraginous1616 throughother1626 mishmash1652 promiscous1656 hotchpotchly1674 hodge-podging1772 hashy1781 mixty-maxty1786 motleyed1798 gallimaufrical1836 odd-and-end1836 chow-chow1844 speckled1845 ragbag1882 disherent1890 1601 H. Clapham Ælohim-triune xi. sig. D2 What should I tell of hell and al his paines? Of sinnes deuises, and his motlie traines? 1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 98 I could wish such medlie and motlie Designes confined onely to the Ornament of Freezes. 1641 J. Milton Animadversions 24 The motley i[n]coherence of a patch'd Missall. 1693 J. Dryden tr. Persius Satires i. 11 One wou'd enquire, from whence this motley Stile Did first our Roman Purity defile. 1728 A. Pope Dunciad i. 53 There motley Images her fancy strike, Figures ill-pair'd, and Similes unlike. 1796 E. Hamilton Lett. Hindoo Rajah (1811) I. 138 Motely tales of love and murder. 1822 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 11 10 The diction, similes, and metaphors..are somewhat motley and heterogene. 1845 New Statist Acct. Scotl. X. 1203 The plough..was dragged by a yoke of eight oxen, or of four oxen led on by two horses. By means of this motley and formidable cavalcade, the surface of the soil was only scratched. 1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad I. i. 14 The language of France..has left to our day some motley relics. 1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust II. i. iii. 28 Motley fancies blossom may For the fashion of the day. 1956 W. S. Churchill Hist. Eng.-speaking Peoples I. ii. iv. 161 It was a motley, ill-knit collection of states, flung together by the chance of a single marriage, and lacking unity both of purpose and strength. 1985 T. Jones Skin Deep i. 15 I couldn't avoid noticing the motley assortment of motorized two-wheelers. 2000 Atlantic Monthly Aug. 100/2 Viral marketing allows even the motliest start-ups to gain a worldwide audience. b. Of a gathering or group of people: consisting of people of diverse or varied appearance, character, etc.; miscellaneous. Frequently depreciative. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > variety > [adjective] > miscellaneous or heterogeneous > of group of people motley1648 1648 Parliament-kite No. 14. 82 To the Motly Senate and Synod. a1698 F. Sheppard Cal. Reform'd in Duke of Buckingham et al. Misc. Wks. (1704) 225 What a motly Checquer'd Assembly of Red-Coats and Wastcoateers! 1735 H. Carey Stage Tyrants 2 A motley Herd Of upstart Witlings to my self preferr'd. 1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson i. iii. 28 With this motly crew..Pizarro set sail. 1818 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 4 356 As motley and polygeneous an array, as ever found the elements of ruin in disunion. 1846 T. Arnold Hist. Later Rom. Commonw. I. viii. 477 The infantry were..a motley force of Greeks, Cretans, Syrians, and natives of Pontus. 1879 J. Lubbock Addresses, Polit. & Educ. i. 2 In..Singapore, we see a motley population attracted from China, the Malay Peninsula and India. 1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child ii. vi. 184 Among the motley crowd which had made the studio a home in the days of Kirk's bachelorhood had been an artist. 1968 G. Daws Shoals of Time iv. 137 They were a motley group, mostly goldfields opportunist with a sprinkling of revolutionary exiles from Europe. 1986 N.Y. Times 9 Feb. vii. 24/1 He benevolently presides over a lakeside circus and slum that's home to the motliest of crews. †3. Variable, changeable. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > changeableness > [adjective] > of persons ficklea1275 mutablec1425 fleeting1553 rolling1561 unbottomed?1674 motley1755 mobile1778 1755 E. Young Centaur v, in Wks. (1757) IV. 221 So motley a creature is man; as mutable, as God is fixed. 1798 T. Holcroft Knave, or Not? v. xi. 88 I have hitherto lived, and fear I shall die Wondering at the enormous vices, and the splendid Virtues, which mingle and form the history of that Motley creature man. Compounds C1. Parasynthetic and instrumental, as motley-coloured, motley-faced, motley-peopled, motley-speckled, etc., adjs. ΚΠ 1598 E. Guilpin Skialetheia i. sig. C4 And motley fac'd Dissimulation, Is crept into our euery fashion. 1676 London Gaz. No. 1114/4 Lost..a Motly-speckled Greyhound. 1799 J. Strutt Compl. View Dress & Habits People of Eng. II. 279 The Merchand [in the Cant. T.]..is clothed in a motley-coloured garment. 1844 J. H. Stocqueler Hand-bk. India 260 This..motley-peopled capital. 1872 Appletons' Jrnl. Aug. 206/3 The motley-colored butcher [sc. a matador] appeared on the scene with his sharp Toledo blade. 1986 V. Hearne Adam's Task (1987) iii. 52 My motley-coated cat..is..contemplating..the curious ways the shadows move round and round. C2. † motley dandruff n. Medicine Obsolete rare the superficial dermatomycosis tinea versicolor, characterized by the presence of scaly brown or yellow patches on the trunk and arms. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of visible parts > skin disorders > [noun] > scurfy or scabby state or disease scurfc1000 scabc1250 scallc1374 lepraa1398 morphoeaa1398 scalledness1398 morphewa1400 scabiesc1400 scale14.. scruff14.. shellsc1400 rove?c1450 scabnessc1450 scabbedness1483 scaldness1527 scurfinessa1529 scaledness1530 dandruff1545 skalfering1561 bran1574 room1578 reefa1585 scabbiness1584 scald1598 skilfers1599 scabiosity1608 scalliness1610 scaliness1611 furfur1621 morph1681 pityriasis1684 psoriasis1684 porrigo1706 scaly tetter1799 motley dandruff1822 scale-skin1822 parapsoriasis1903 dander- 1822 J. M. Good Study Med. IV. 573 The variegated or Motley Dandriff, pityriasis versicolor. motley fool n. a professional fool; also in extended use (usually or always with allusion to quot. a1616). ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 13 I met a foole i'th Forrest, A motley Foole . View more context for this quotation 1773 J. Robertson Poems (rev. ed.) 235 A madman, knave, and motley fool, Downward once took their way. c1840 J. H. Lewis Lect. Art of Writing (ed. 7) vi. 84 A motley-fool the thing I mean is, One of the common puffing sheenies. 1885 C. S. Greene in Overland Monthly June 623 And after Shakspere come a myriad more, Preacher and bard, and sage and motley fool. 1995 Boston Globe (Nexis) 22 Nov. 30 The reason why playwrights should move on from employing homeless people as touchstones and motley fools. † motley iron n. Obsolete rare a mixture of grey and white iron (cf. mottled iron n. at mottled adj. Compounds 3). ΚΠ 1665 D. Dudley Mettallum Martis 31 The second sort is called Motley Iron, of which one part of the Sowes or Piggs is gray, the other part is white intermixt. † motley-maker n. Obsolete a maker of motley cloth. ΚΠ 1407 in B. Thuresson Middle Eng. Occup. Terms (1950) 210 (MED) Joh. Thornton, motlemaker. c1415 in M. D. Harris Reg. Guild Holy Trinity, Coventry (1935) 39 (MED) Johannes Bromley, Motley-maker. motley-minded adj. muddle-headed, nonsensical; fickle, inconstant, irresponsible; cf. sense A. 1b. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) v. iv. 41 This is the Motley-minded Gentleman. View more context for this quotation 1752 G. A. Stevens Distress upon Distress ii. 86 Each Brute, from Instinct, feels a separate Taste, But motley-minded Man mimics them all. 1872 J. G. Whittier Pennsylvania Pilgrim & Other Poems 32 His forest home no hermit's Guests, motley-minded, drew And held armed truce upon its neutral ground. 1896 Overland Monthly Sept. 314/2 Among the ‘Silverites’, so-called, we find a motley-minded array, evolving tenets and principles that challenge all established law and precedent. 1988 W. Kennedy Quinn's Bk. 256 The carriages..carry the motley-minded denizens of a nation at war and at play. † motley-scorn n. Obsolete rare a fool's or jester's cap; = coxcomb n. 3. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > performance of jester or comedian > [noun] > jester's cap coxcomba1529 motley-scorn1600 cap and bauble1663 cap and bells1884 1600 T. Dekker Old Fortunatus sig. C4 Poore Vertue..Why is this Motley-scorne set on thy head? Derivatives † motley-like adv. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Bigarrément, diuersly, of sundrie colours, motley-like. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online June 2022). motleyv. Brit. /ˈmɒtli/, U.S. /ˈmɑtli/ Forms: see motley n. and adj. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: motley n. Etymology: < motley n. Chiefly poetic. rare. transitive. To impart or give to (something) a particoloured or patchwork appearance; to make diverse in character; to mix incongruously. Chiefly in past participle. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > variegation > variegate [verb (transitive)] chequer?a1400 fleckc1430 engrail1483 shoot1532 begary1538 intermingle1553 enchase1590 diaper1592 sinew1592 motley1602 intercolour1607 damask1610 particolour1610 inshade1613 freta1616 enamel1650 discolour1656 variegatea1728 jasper1799 intershoot1845 patchwork1853 pattern1898 strand1914 harlequin- 1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) 92 (MED) Poetrye, Enbelshyd wyth colours of rethoryk So plenteuously, that fully it lyk In May was neuere no medewe sene Motleyd wyth flours on hys verdure grene. 1602 F. Davison in E. Farr Sel. Poetry Reign Elizabeth (1845) II Motlied [so MS. Rawl. Poet. 61 (1626); later edd. mottled] with Springs flowry painting. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 274 With thousand Dies he motleys all the meads. 1830 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 27 341 Some ruins motleyed with the weeds That love the salt-breeze. 1967 A. Carter Magic Toyshop vii. 146 His trousers and shirt were motleyed with all sorts of paint and a welter of dirt and sweat. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.adj.1371v.1447
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motleyn.adj.

Compounds

Derivatives

motleyv.