fleck

Everyday

1. A fleck is a tiny spot or mark of colour, or a small piece of something, like a fleck of paint or dust. tree →
2. (verb) To be flecked with something means to have small spots of it scattered over it. tree →

In the lessons

In art and descriptive writing it helps paint a precise picture: «green eyes with flecks of gold». In everyday life it describes small bits: «a fleck of mud». Phrases: «flecks of», «flecked with».

Examples

• There was a fleck of paint on her nose. tree →
• His eyes were blue with flecks of grey. tree →
• The bird's feathers were flecked with white. tree →
• I found a fleck of gold in the stream. tree →
• Flecks of snow drifted past the window. tree →
• The wall was flecked with mud after the football game. tree →
• It was written on a leaflet of paper heavily flecked with gold-dust. tree →

Note

Countable: a fleck, flecks. Past form: flecked (used as an adjective too: «a flecked egg»). Similar words: speck, spot, dot. «Fleck» is used more for colour; «speck» for dust and dirt.