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Origin and history of speckle

speckle(v.)

"mark with speckles or spots," mid-15c. (implied in speckled), probably related to Middle English spekke "small spot, speck" (see speck (n.1)) or from a related Middle Dutch or Middle High German word. Related: Speckled; speckling. The noun, "a little speck or spot, a spark, gold-colored fleck" is attested mid-15c.

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to speckle

speck(n.1)

"small spot or stain," Middle English spekke, speckke, from Old English specca, a word of unknown origin; probably related to Dutch speckel "speck, speckle," Middle Dutch spekelen "to sprinkle" (compare speckle (v.)). The meaning "tiny bit" developed c. 1400. As a verb, "to mark or stain in spots," late 14c. (implied in spekked "spotted, dappled"), from the noun. Related: Specked.

bespeckle(v.)

"to mark with spots," c. 1600, from be- + speckle. Related: Bespeckled; bespeckling.

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    spot
    c. 1200, "moral stain;" by mid-14c. as "speck, stain left by something on a surface;" probably at least in part from a variant of Old English splott "a spot, blot, patch (of land)," and partly from or related to Middle Dutch spotte "spot, speck." Other cognates are East Frisian s
    patch
    "piece of cloth used to mend another material," late 14c., pacche, of obscure origin, perhaps a variant of pece, pieche, from Old North French pieche (see piece (n.1)), or from an unrecorded Old English word (Old English had claðflyhte for "a patch"). Meaning "portion of any surf
    stipple
    in decorative or engraving arts, "paint or engrave with dots," 1670s, from Dutch stippelen "to make points," frequentative of stippen "to prick, speckle," from stip "a point," which is perhaps ultimately from PIE root *st(e)ig- "pointed" (see stick (v.)), or from *steip- "to stic
    blot
    late 14c., "a spot or stain of ink;" also "a moral stain or blemish, a disgrace, a sin;" a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old Norse blettr "blot, stain," or from Old French blot, variant of bloc "block." The Middle English Compendium compares, hesitantly, Old French blo(s
    bolt
    Old English bolt "short, stout arrow with a heavy head;" also "crossbow for throwing bolts," from Proto-Germanic *bultas (source also of Old Norse bolti, Danish bolt, Dutch bout, German Bolzen), perhaps originally "arrow, missile," and from PIE *bheld- "to knock, strike" (source
    post
    "a timber of considerable size set upright," from Old English post "pillar, doorpost," and from Old French post "post, upright beam," both from Latin postis "door, post, doorpost," in Medieval Latin "a beam, rod, pole," which is perhaps from Vulgar Latin *por- "forth," a variant
    stop
    Middle English stoppen, "obstruct (a passage) with a physical barrier; close up by filling, stuffing, or plugging," from Old English -stoppian (in forstoppian "to stop up, stifle"), a general West Germanic word, cognate with Old Saxon stuppon, West Frisian stopje, Middle Low Germ
    fret
    Old English fretan "devour, feed upon, consume," from Proto-Germanic compound *fra-etan "to eat up," from *fra- "completely" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + *etan "to eat" (from PIE root *ed- "to eat"). Cognates include Dutch vreten, Old High German frezzan
    macula
    plural maculae, "a spot, blotch," especially on the skin or eye, c. 1400, from Latin macula "spot, stain," used of various spots (sunspots, markings on minerals, etc.), from Proto-Italic *smalto-, which is of uncertain origin. The macula lutea of the eye, the yellow spot of the r
    splash
    1715 (intransitive), "dabble about in water or some other liquid;" 1722 (transitive), "spatter," probably an alteration of plash with an intensive s-. Related: Splashed; splashing. Splash-board, to protect the occupants of a vehicle from splashing of the horse's feet, is attested

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