I. ˈspriŋkəl verb
( sprinkled ; sprinkled ; sprinkling -k(ə)liŋ ; sprinkles )
Etymology: Middle English sprenklen, sprinclen; akin to Middle Dutch, Middle Low German, & Middle High German sprenkel, sprinkel spot, Icelandic sprekla spot, Old English spearca spark — more at spark
transitive verb
1.
a. : to scatter in drops or particles
it sprinkled rain late in the afternoon, just enough to remove some of the dust from the infield — Nashville Tennessean
sprinkle a little bird sand on the feeding board — William Powell-Owen
b. : to scatter widely : distribute sparsely
a series of model houses sprinkled about the grounds — Betty Pepsis
2.
a. : to scatter over : besprinkle , spot — usually used with with
sprinkled that roof with lightning rods — Eudora Welty
his ill-fitting clothes were usually sprinkled with cigarette ashes — Samuel Lubell
b. : to scatter at intervals in or among : diversify , dot , intersperse — usually used with with
sprinkles his programs generously with such light works — Green Peyton
a propaganda tract sprinkled with glib half-truths — Theodore Brameld
a heavily wooded section sprinkled with small lakes — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania
c. : to wet lightly
sprinkled the flowers
the rain sprinkled the grass
d. : to spatter small drops of color on the smoothly cut edges of (books) or acid on the surface of (smooth leather)
sprinkled edges
sprinkled calf binding
3.
a. : to cleanse with or as if with a few drops of water : purify
our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience — Heb 10:22 (Revised Standard Version)
b. : to baptize by aspersion or by the application of a few drops of water
intransitive verb
1. : to scatter a liquid in fine drops
shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times — Lev 14:16 (Authorized Version)
2. : to rain lightly in scattered drops
it began to sprinkle
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : the act or an instance of sprinkling
the sprinkle and trickle filter treatment of sewage — Building, Estimating & Contracting
specifically : a light rain
a brief sprinkle that hardly wet the ground
b. : something scattered about or sparsely distributed
they came out of the tunnel into a sprinkle of lights and houses — Katherine Mansfield
gathering field peas or the last sprinkle of late cotton — Frances Gaither
c. : a small particle intended or suitable for sprinkling — usually used in plural
covered it with chocolate sprinkles — Evan Hunter
2. : a mottled color effect