Dotts

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To mark or cover something with small round spots, points, or specks of color
2. Making small round marks on a surface, such as by placing tiny spots or specks across it
3. Scattering small points or spots over a surface, often to indicate a pattern or position

Etymology: "Dotts" is the third-person singular form of "dott," a verb meaning to mark with small spots or dots. The verb itself is a back-formation from "dotty" (or the earlier "dotted"), and "dotty" in its spotted sense came first; the "dott" stem was clipped from it in the 19th century, so speakers treated the spotted-pattern word as a verb rather than the other way round. The verb is most familiar in the phrase "dotted lines" and in British usage, where "dotted" has long meant covered with small marks, and "dott" was used to say that something was being made into a spotted pattern. The noun form "dott," meaning a small spot or point, is recorded in English from the mid-1600s, and it is the same sound-shape as the familiar "dot," which is probably a related word of uncertain ultimate origin.