Brindled
/ˈbrɪn.dəld/noun
Marked with streaks or spots of different colors, especially brown or gray.
Did you know?Brindled is tied to an old Germanic color word for burnished or brownish tones, and English later used it for the streaked coat patterns of cats, dogs, and cattle.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brunjaz / *brūnaz
“Brown, dark, or burnished in color”
Old English
OE
brūn
“Brown, dark, shining, or dusky”
Middle English
ME
brindle
“A streaked or brindled color pattern; originally a brownish, marked appearance”
16th Century
English
brindled
“Marked with streaks or spots of different colors, especially in animal coats”
Modern English
English
brindled
“Having a streaked or mottled coat or surface”