I. ˈspekəl noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English spakle, speckle; akin to Middle Dutch speckel speckle, Old English specca speck
: a small mark, splotch, or speck ; especially : an irregular natural speck (as of color)
white eggs covered with purplish speckles
a speckle- bellied goose
II. transitive verb
( speckled ; speckled ; speckling -k(ə)liŋ ; speckles )
1. : to mark with small spots or specks : speck , spot
sunlight speckling the lawn
decided to speckle the finish of the floor
2. : to dot in the manner of speckles
little lakes speckled the land
a slope speckled with houses
III. noun
: a granular effect in an image that is caused by the scattering of incident wave energy (as laser light or ultrasound) by the uneven surface of the target object