speckle

Everyday

1. (noun) A small spot or mark of colour, one of many: "speckles of paint". tree →
2. (verb) To cover with lots of small spots. tree →
3. (speckled, adjective) Covered with many small spots: a speckled egg. tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons speckles help camouflage: speckled eggs, speckled trout and speckled birds blend into stones and leaves. In art lessons speckling (flicking paint off a toothbrush) makes stars or sand. In stories "speckled with" describes a surface dotted with something: a sky speckled with stars, a face speckled with freckles. Phrases: speckled with, speckled hen, speckled egg.

Examples

• The thrush's egg was blue with dark speckles. tree →
• Her face was speckled with mud. tree →
• We speckled white paint on black paper to make stars. tree →
• The speckled frog sat on a log. tree →
• The trout has a speckled back. tree →
• The floor was speckled with sawdust. tree →

Note

"Speckled" (the adjective) is much more common than "speckle". Similar words: spot, dot, fleck, freckle. "Speckled with" + noun.