Freckles are small light brown spots on someone's skin, especially on their face.
He had short ginger-coloured hair and freckles.
freckle in British English
(ˈfrɛkəl)
noun
1.
a small brownish spot on the skin: a localized deposit of the pigment melanin, developed by exposure to sunlight
Technical name: lentigo
2.
any small area of discoloration; a spot
3. Australian slang
the anus
verb
4.
to mark or become marked with freckles or spots
Derived forms
freckled (ˈfreckled) or freckly (ˈfreckly)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old Norse freknur freckles; related to Swedish fräkne, Danish fregne
freckle in American English
(ˈfrɛkəl)
noun
1.
a small, brownish spot on the skin, esp. as a result of exposure to the sun
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfreckled or ˈfreckling
2.
to cause freckles to appear on
verb intransitive
3.
to become spotted with freckles
Derived forms
freckled (ˈfreckled)
adjective or ˈfreckly
Word origin
ME frekel, altered < frakene < Scand, as in Norw dial. frokle, freckle & Norw frekna, Dan fregne, Swed fräkne, ON freknōttr, freckled < IE base *(s)p(h)ereg-, to strew: see spark1
Examples of 'freckle' in a sentence
freckle
Forget fake beauty spots, glitter freckles are perfect for the festive season, which will be upon us before long.
The Sun (2016)
There was a small freckle of white when he took his finger away.
Laura Lippman EVERY SECRET THING (2002)
In other languages
freckle
British English: freckle NOUN
Freckles are small light brown spots on someone's skin, especially on their face.