dappled

[ dap-uhld ]

adjective

1. having spots of a different shade, tone, or color from the background; mottled.

Other Words From

• un·dappled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dappled¹

1350–1400; Middle English, probably < Scandinavian; akin to Old Norse depill spot

Example Sentences

If a political debate is your idea of a good time — rather than, say, sitting on the sugary sands of some beach watching a dappled sunset play on the water, more power to you!

From Los Angeles Times

It’s an ideal companion piece to the site-specific daybed Skelly made to best enjoy the view from the sunroom’s expansive windows, where dappled light filters through an outdoor screen of towering bamboo.

From Los Angeles Times

The tree’s winter silhouette and dappled bark are a marriage of form and grace, best when planted against an evergreen backdrop.

From Seattle Times

This was classic couture — in sandstone tulle, sky-like lilac, blush cloud pink and dappled pastels — with arabesque motifs on golden foliage.

From Seattle Times

In the new study, the researchers repeatedly showed mice one of two images, each consisting of a different checkerboard pattern of gray and dappled black and white squares.

From Science Daily