Mottled
/ˈmɒt.əld/noun
Marked with spots, streaks, or blotches of different colors.
Did you know?English likely formed *mottled* from *mottle* plus the adjectival ending *-ed*, and *mottle* itself is tied to a French word for a small spot or speck — a reminder that words can grow from tiny marks into entire visual worlds.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
mottled
“Marked with spots or blotches of color.”
Middle English
English
mottle
“A spot or blotch; to mark with spots.”
Old French
OF
motel
“A small spot or speck.”
Late Latin
LL
mottum
“A spot or speck.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meug-
“To smear, stain, or make dirty.”