Stippled

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting a texture adorned with countless tiny dots or specks
2. Having a surface covered in tiny distinct spots or points
3. Characterized by an appearance made up of many fine dots densely arranged

Etymology: "Stippled" is the past participle of "stipple," a verb that began life as a Dutch word for a tiny dot. The Dutch "stippel" meant a small spot, and English borrowed the idea first for the marks themselves: a stippled surface was one dabbed with specks rather than drawn with continuous lines. Only later did "stipple" come to name the technique of making such a surface, so the thing and the method took their names in that order. The participle carries that picture into the adjective. Something stippled is covered in countless small points, whether a painted sky, a frosted windowpane, or a leaf speckled with pale dots. The word stays close to the physical mark it started with, so the adjective still describes the dots themselves more than any idea about them.

Synonyms: dotted, spotted, freckled