I. ˈmäd. ə l, -ät ə l noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably back-formation from motley (I)
1. : a colored spot
streaks and mottles
2.
a. : a surface having colored spots, blotchings, or cloudings
his chest and flanks were a mottle of bruises — Arthur Morrison
b. : the arrangement of such markings on a surface
available in a variety of opaque colors or mottles — Modern Plastics Catalog
3. : mosaic 5b
II. adjective
: mottled
III. transitive verb
( mottled ; mottled ; mottling -d. ə liŋ, -t( ə )liŋ ; mottles )
: to mark with spots or blotches of different color or shades of color as if stained : spot , blotch
drifting clouds mottled the sea — J.A.Michener