Mottled

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈmɑt əld/

Definitions

1. Marked by areas of differing colors or shades that create a mixed-pattern appearance
2. Exhibiting a surface featuring irregular spots or patches that vary in color and tone
3. Showing a surface characterized by uneven color patches or blotches that create a varied pattern

Etymology: "Mottled" is simply the past-participle-style adjective built from "mottle," a verb meaning to mark something with spots or blotches, with the ordinary "-ed" ending added. The verb "mottle" itself was formed from the noun "mott," a dialect word for a spot or blotch, and it is the noun that gives the whole group its visual sense of uneven patches of colour. The source dates the adjective to the 1670s–1680s, which places it squarely in the period when English writers were describing textures and patterns with fresh vocabulary. Its appearance then reflects a common pattern: a noun for a small mark was turned into a verb for making such marks, and the resulting participle described the surface that had been so marked.

Synonyms: spotted, dappled, blotchy

Antonyms: solid, uniform