speckled, (ppl.) a. and pa. pple.
(ˈspɛk(ə)ld)
Also 5 spac-, spaklyd, spekelede, spekeld, specled, 6 spekeled, speckelde, 7 speckeld.
[Corresponds to MDu. and WFlem. spekelde adj. and gespekeld (Du. gespikkeld) pa. pple. See speckle n.]
Covered, dotted, or marked with (numerous) speckles or specks; variegated or flecked with spots of a different colour from that of the main body; spotted.
1. a. In predicative use.
| a 1400 Stockholm Med. MS. ii. 658 in Anglia XVIII. 323 His stalke is..Lyke nedderis hyde spaclyd amonge. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxi. 143 Þai bene of dyuerse coloures, as rayed, rede, grene and ȝalowe,..and all spekelede. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 467/1 Spaklyd, scutulatus. 1570 Levins Manip. 49 Speckled, maculosus. 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus i. 15 He is no better than a leper in Gods eies,..outwardly spotted and speckled like the leopard. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 138 To have their..Pigeons speckled and painted after their own phantasie. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 7 May 1662, He drawing it [his arm] oute we found it all speckled. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) V. 265 She usually lays but one [egg], which is speckled. 1796 H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. (1799) I. 579 They are thus speckled, I admit, only on one side. 1861 Paley æschylus (ed. 2) Agam. 383 note, If unskilfully mixed it turns quite black externally, and is liable to become dim and speckled after being polished. 1965 Jrnl. Optical Soc. Amer. LV. 247 When a diffuse surface is illuminated by a coherent monochromatic source such as a laser, the illuminated area appears speckled. 1978 Pasachoff & Kutner University Astron. ii. vi. 148 At any one instant, the image of a star through a large telescope looks speckled because different parts of the image are affected by different small turbulent areas in the earth's atmosphere. |
| fig. 1614 T. Adams Divell's Banket 25 The Conscience growes more speckled by them, till men become not only spotted, but spots. |
b. Const.
with something,
esp. of a colour different from that of the main surface or material.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 353/1 In the sayd welle appiere yet stones bespryncte and specled as it were with blood. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. IV, 12 Some had the mainferres..dropped and gutted with red and other had them spekeled with grene. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 203 Two leaves, speckled with great redde spottes. 1653 W. Ramesey Astrol. Restored 57 The Heliotropion, is in colour green like a Jasper, speckled with red. 1735 Johnson Lobo's Abyssinia Descr. xii. 114 These Serpents..have..their bellies speckled with Brown, Black, and Yellow. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxiv, Its luxuriant plain..speckled with gardens and magnificent villas. 1825 Scott Betrothed x, As she beheld that the trophies were speckled with blood. 1891 Science-Gossip XXVII. 23 With a dark zone of different shades of brown and black round the small end and speckled with the same colours on the other part. |
2. In
attrib. use.
a. Of animals, their skin, parts, etc.
speckled beauty, a fine trout.
| 1482 Trevisa's Higden (Caxton) ii. xi. 86 Alle the spekeld lammes and kyddes. a 1547 Surrey æneid ii. B iv, The adder..Rered for wrath swelling her speckled neck. 1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus F iv b, A foxe though he haue not so gawdye a skin as the Leopard, hath more wit then the speckled foole. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. i. 17 She..turning fierce, her speckled taile aduaunst. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 5 [Sharks] are alwayes directed by a little speckled fish, called a pilot fish. 1675 Hobbes Odyssey (1677) 166 A goatskin..Of which a speckeld wild goat had been flaid. 1735 Somerville Chase i. 247 His Ears and Legs Fleckt here and there, in gay enamell'd Pride Rival the speckled Pard. 1789 E. Darwin Bot. Gard. ii. (1791) 109 Two serpent forms..ploughed their foamy way with speckled breasts. 1832 Lytton Eugene A. i. v, The speckled trout, fresh from the stream. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede i, A clean old woman..talking to some speckled fowls. 1873 G. C. Davies Mount. & Mere xiv. 112 In the mean time I had landed two speckled beauties. |
| transf. 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. iii. Furies 217 How many loathsome swarms Of speckled poysons..in close Ambush lurk. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 663 A Snake..renew'd in all the speckl'd Pride Of pompous Youth. c 1760 Smollett Ode Leven-Water 13 The springing trout in speckled pride. |
b. Of flowers, stone, cloth, garments, etc.
| 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iv. (1586) 191 b, Veronica..beareth a leafe like the Blackthorne, with a blewish speckled flowre. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. 211 Ouer the body they haue built a tombe of speckled stone. 1648 Hexham ii, Gespickelt laken, Speckled or Spotted cloath. 1682 Lond. Gaz. No. 1757/4 A dark-colour'd Stuff Riding-Coat,..and speckled Stockings. 1708 Sewel ii, Spekkige boter of kaas, speckled butter or cheese. 1843 J. E. Portlock Geology 525 The cavities are lined with green earth, and, from their number and minuteness, give a very speckled appearance to the mass. 1887 Besant The World Went ii. 15 He wore a common speckled shirt like the watermen's children. |
c. fig. Of sin, vice, etc.: Characterized by, full of, moral blemishes or defects.
| 1603 Dekker & Chettle Grissil (Shaks. Soc.) 8 Before my soul look black with speckled sin My hands shall make me pale death's underling. 1608 Day Law Trickes i. i, Her credit is more foule Than speckled scandall or black murders soule. 1629 Milton Hymn Nativ. xiv, And speckl'd vanity Will sicken soon and die. 1664 Duchess of Newcastle Sociable Lett. xv, Being unspotted, and free from that speckled Vice. |
d. colloq. Of a mixed character or nature; motley.
| 1845 S. Judd Margaret i. x, It was a singularly freaked and speckled group. 1909 Daily Chron. 16 Dec. 7/1 They are certainly not all desirable, taken separately. It must be owned that they are usually a speckled lot. |
3. a. In the specific names of birds, fishes, animals, etc. (see
quots. and the
ns.).
A number of moth names are given in Rennie
Consp. Butterfl. & Moths (1832).
| 1888 Trumbull Names Birds 11 American White-fronted goose,..Laughing goose,..known in various parts of the West as Prairie Brant, *Speckled Belly, and *Speckled Brant. |
| 1781 Latham Gen. Synop. Birds I. i. 97 *Speckled Buzzard,..in shape like our common Buzzard. |
| 1884 Coues N. Amer. Birds 276 Catherpes mexicanus conspersus, *Speckled Cañon Wren. |
| 1678 Ray Willughby's Ornith. iii. 341 The greatest *speckled Diver or Loon: Colymbus maximus caudatus. 1785 Latham Gen. Synop. Birds III. ii. 341 Speckled Diver, Colymbus stellatus. 1894 Heslop Northumbld. Words, Speckled-Diver, the young of the red-throated diver, Colymbus septentrionalis. |
| 1815 Stephens in Shaw's Gen. Zool. IX. ii. 438 *Speckled Finch (Fringilla bononiensis). |
| 1785 Latham Gen. Synop. Birds III. i. 266 *Speckled Gallinule..frequents the marshes of Germany. |
| 1678 Ray Willughby's Ornith. iii. 283 The greater *speckled or red Heron of Aldrovand. |
| 1785 Latham Gen. Synop. Birds III. ii. 341 Greatest *speckled Loon... This bird is pretty frequent in England. |
| 1772 Phil. Trans. LXII. 383 *Speckled Partridge Hawk, at Hudson's Bay. The name is derived from its feeding on the birds of the Grous tribe, commonly called partridges, at Hudson's Bay. |
| 1668 Charleton Onomast. 78 Passeres Maculatus,..the *speckled Sparrow, with a yellow tail. 1783 Latham Gen. Synop. Birds II. i. 255 Speckled Sparrow... Back, and rump, black, white, and yellowish, mixed. |
| Ibid. 87 *Speckled Thrush,..speckled with small numerous brown spots. |
| 1836 Yarrell Brit. Fishes II. 164 The *Speckled Cod is frequently taken in the weirs at Swansea. 1881 Day Fishes Gt. Brit. I. 278 Turton's ‘speckled cod’ may have been so coloured due to disease. |
| 1804 Shaw Gen. Zool. V. ii. 417 *Speckled File-fish, Balistes Punctatus. |
| 1884 Goode Nat. Hist. Aquat. Anim. 263 *Speckled Garrupa (Sebastichthys nebulosus). |
| 1863 Couch Brit. Fishes II. 170 *Speckled Goby (Gobius reticulatus, Cuvier)..is known in the Mediterranean. |
| 1877 C. Hallock Sportsman's Gazetteer 276 Locally they are..severally known as yellow perch,..*speckled hen, etc. 1888 Goode Amer. Fishes 56 ‘Marsh Bass’..and ‘Speckled Hen’ are other names applied to one or both species [of bass]. |
| 1876 Goode Fishes Bermudas 72 Gymnothorax moringa, *Speckled Maray. 1884 [see moray]. |
| 1877 C. Hallock Sportsman's Gazetteer 378 Silver Perch, or *Speckled Perch. 1888 Goode Amer. Fishes 71 Pomoxys annularis..has other names of local application as..‘Goggle Eye’, ‘Speckled Perch’. |
| 1882 Jordan & Gilbert Syn. Fishes N. Amer. 320 Salvelinus fontinalis, Brook Trout; *Speckled Trout. 1884 Goode Nat. Hist. Aquat. Anim. 504 The Dolly Varden Trout, Salvelinus malma,..is known in the mountains as ‘Lake Trout’, ‘Bull Trout’, ‘Speckled Trout’. |
| 1804 Shaw Gen. Zool. V. ii. 428 *Speckled Trunk-Fish, Ostracion Meleagris. |
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) IV. 306/2 The Axis, or *Speckled Deer, has slender trifurcated horns. |
| c 1880 Cassell's Nat. Hist. IV. 253 China yields the *Speckled Emys. |
| 1802 Shaw Gen. Zool. III. ii. 581 *Speckled Slow-Worm, Anguis Meleagris;..nearly allied to the common Slow-Worm. |
| Ibid. i. 30 Testudo Europæa... The *speckled Tortoise is of rather small size. 1831 Griffith tr. Cuvier IX. 11 The Speckled Tortoise, Testudo Europæa. |
| 1884 Goode Nat. Hist. Aquat. Anim. 158 The ‘Spotted Tortoise’ or ‘*Speckled Turtle’, Chelopus guttatus. |
b. speckled wood, (
a) a variety of wood having speckled markings;
esp. the South American snake-wood or letter-wood,
Brosimum Aubletii; (
b) a brown butterfly with yellowish spots,
Pararge egeria, found in lightly shaded places in Britain, much of continental Europe, and North Africa. Also
speckled osier (see
quot. 1885).
| 1656 Act Commw. c. 20 Rates (1658) 476 Log-wood... Speckled-wood. 1663 Gerbier Counsel Builders (1664) 109 What extent of Land about Surrenam is beset with speckled wood. 1703 W. Dampier Voy. III. i. 55 Here are Dye-woods, as Fustick, &c. with Woods for other uses, as speckled Wood, Brazil, &c. 1766 M. Harris Aurelian 132 Speckled wood... It flies in woods. The caterpillar feeds on grass. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 745 A beautiful piece of speckled wood, made use of in cabinet work. 1843 Holtzapffel Turning I. 106 Snake wood, Letter or Speckled wood, is used at Demerara, Surinam, and along the banks of the Orinoko, for the bows of the Indians. 1885 C. G. W. Lock Workshop Rec. Ser. iv. 277/1 The best variety [of the Salix viminalis] is known under several names, as..the..blotched osier, and speckled osier. 1974 [see meadow brown (butterfly) s.v. meadow n. 4 b]. |
c. speckled yellows, a disease of sugar beet characterized by distorted and discoloured leaves, caused by a deficiency of manganese.
| 1938 Brit. Sugar Beet Rev. XII. 77/2 Fields affected with ‘Speckled Yellows’ can be recognised from a considerable distance. 1959 New Biol. XXX. 91 Diseases such as ‘grey speck’ of oats, ‘speckled yellows’ of sugar beet and ‘marsh spot’ of peas are caused by the low availability of manganese in the soil. 1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 15 Mar. 149/2 (caption) Sugar Beet leaf—illustrating deficiency of manganese (‘speckled yellows’). |
4. Comb., as
speckled-faced,
speckled-tailed adjs.| 1884 Coues N. Amer. Birds 278 Thryothorus bewicki spilurus, Speckled-tailed Wren. 1884 Daily News 10 Dec. 3/1 The black or speckled-faced class [of sheep]. 1886 Pall Mall G. 7 Dec. 10/2 Fat wether sheep, of any blackfaced or speckledfaced mountain breed. |
Hence
ˈspeckledness, the state of being speckled; spottiness.
| 1611 Cotgr., Haglure, the maile (or speckledness) of the coat of a hawke. 1665 Hooke Microgr. 200 The speckledness of his shell. 1727 Bailey (vol. II), Speckledness, Spottedness. |