dapple
/ˈdap(ə)l
/verb [with object]
Mark with spots or rounded patches: the floor was dappled with pale moonlight...
- The woodland floor is dappled with sunlight, which makes it difficult to tell what is a mushroom and what is just a dead leaf.
- The cuffs on her arms had been ripped off, and although he could only see the underside of her arms, there was a hint of leopard spots dappling the sides.
- Her hair had come loose from its braid and red marks dappled her chest.
Synonyms
dot, spot, mark, fleck, streak, speck, speckle, bespeckle, mottle, stipple, marble
speckled, blotched, blotchy, spotted, spotty, dotted, streaked, streaky, mottled, marbled, flecked, freckled, stippled, piebald, skewbald, pied, brindled, brindle, tabby, marled;
patchy, variegated, multicoloured, particoloured;
North American pinto
informal splotchy, splodgy
rare jaspé
noun
1A patch or spot of colour or light: a dapple of sunlight that shifted as the breeze stirred the leaves their designs tend to be simple, spots and dapples...
- Small dapples of light occasionally broke through and barely illuminated any of the uneven littered ground.
- It was a rather depressing wall, painted white with dapples of gray scuffs.
- It came to me that the phenomenal world was like a dance of convections, a crazy dapple of hues, forever escaping one's notice, yet teasing the eye with its flow.
2An animal with a dappled coat: smooth and wire-haired puppies, occasional dapples and piebalds...
- By the time we had got to the croft at the top of the hill the ponies - including the dapple who is my special favourite - had been turned out and were taking the whole thing calmly at the other end of their field.
- Barnyards dropped by in the elderly and well preserved Land-Rover which is the modern farmers' equivalent of the solid dapple horse, and made us an astoundingly generous offer.
- I was somewhat adept at art, so with my pencils and notebook in my backpack, I drew a picture of Arthur with Excalibur (I had to settle on this name for I could not remember its true title), and his new horse (a large dapple named Joaquin).
Origin
Late 16th century (earlier as an adjective): perhaps related to Old Norse depill 'spot'.