fleck

[ flek ]

noun

1. a speck; a small bit:

   a fleck of dirt.

2. a spot or small patch of color, light, etc.:

   the dapple mare with flecks of gray.

3. a spot or mark on the skin, as a freckle.

verb (used with object)

1. to mark with a fleck or flecks; spot; dapple.

   Synonyms: daub, speck, dot, spatter, bespeckle

fleck

/ flɛk /

noun

1. a small marking or streak; speckle
2. a small particle; speck

   a fleck of dust

verb

1. Alsoflecker tr to mark or cover with flecks; speckle

Other Words From

• fleckless adjective
• fleckless·ly adverb
• flecky adjective
• un·flecked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleck¹

1350–1400; Middle English flekked spotted; akin to Old Norse flekkr spot, streak, Old High German flec ( German Fleck ), Middle Low German, Middle Dutch vlecken to soil

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleck¹

C16: probably from Old Norse flekkr stain, spot; related to Old High German flec spot, plot of land

Example Sentences

Chincoteague Bay stretched before me, golden flecks of sunlight glinting off its smooth waters.

From Washington Post

Those little flecks told us that around 85,000 years ago, something strange happened around Lake Malawi.

From Singularity Hub 

Symptoms include shortness of breath, swollen legs, persistent abdominal pain, severe headaches or blurred vision starting about a week after vaccination, or bruising or blood flecks under the skin in locations other than the injection site.

From Science News

The flyweight fleck of matter was very much born of the planet, a collection of metal and silicon and copper and rubber and plastics and foil and a bit of plutonium hammered together into the New Horizons spacecraft.

From Time

In order to understand even a tiny fleck of a superconductor, theorists would need to grasp the behavior of electron swarms numbering in the trillions.

From Quanta Magazine

But Fleck may not have lost because of his sexual orientation.

From The Daily Beast

It also put a target on his back, and Fleck complained about what he described as a “vicious… deceitful and… personal” campaign.

From The Daily Beast

In the initial tally, Fleck had 3,398 votes, while a total of 3,700 votes were given to write-in candidates.

From The Daily Beast

Fleck also noted that it was possible that he could have the Democratic nomination as a write-in as well.

From The Daily Beast

One thing has changed since his last election: Fleck has come out as gay.

From The Daily Beast

Her eyes were closed, and on her tightly shut lips stood a fleck of crimson stain.

From Project Gutenberg

A fleck of dust arose from the loose coat which covered the spare form of the General, but he stood apparently untouched.

From Project Gutenberg

Comyn turned to fleck the window with his handkerchief, while I was not a little put out at their mirth.

From Project Gutenberg

And faster still, until your feet dash fire from the flinty stones and your nostrils fleck your breasts with foam.

From Project Gutenberg

A half-inch from the Dome's blazing arc, a hundred yards in actuality, the screen showed a black fleck, moving across the waste!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mottle
• speckle