Word of the Day: Mottle

mottle

mot-tle / mŏt-l

noun

1. a spot or splotch of color

Interestingly, as the chicken ages, its mottles tend to increase in size and quantity, often referred to as “going gray.” 

gilmoresinc.com/best-egg-laying-chickens-breed-about, accessed December 20, 2022

2. a streaky pattern of different shades or colors

Typically, leaves of infected plants develop a mottle or mosaic with dark-green vein banding.

www.vegetables.bayer.com/th/en-th/resources/disease-guides/pepper-eggplant/chilli-veinal-mottle.html, accessed December 20, 2022

verb

1. to add or mark with spots or streaks of different shades or colors

Drips from a leaky pipe had mottled the stack over time, moving the color from piece to piece, turning the sheets into gossamer rainbows.

Liza Roberts, “Delicate, Declarative: Artist Maya Freelon’s Ephemeral Work”, ‘Walter’, waltermagazine.com/art-and-culture/artist-maya-freelon, accessed December 20, 2022