I. ˈstipəl transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Dutch stippelen to spot, dot, from stippel speck, spot, from Middle Dutch, diminutive of stip point, dot, from stippen to prick; akin to Middle Low German stippen to prick, Middle High German steppen to stitch, quilt, Russian stebel' stalk — more at stiff
1. : to engrave essentially by means of dots and flicks — compare line engraving
2.
a. : to make (as in paint, ink) by small short touches that together produce an even or softly graded shadow
b. : to apply (as paint) by repeated small touches
3. : to produce an effect in as if by stippling : dot or spot with shade or color : speckle , fleck , streak
sunlight that fell through the trees and stippled the sidewalks — Hamilton Basso
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : execution in graphic art by which gradation of light and shade is produced by separate touches of small points, larger dots, or longer strokes
b. : the effect so produced that may show every separate point or touch (as in prints from a stipple plate) or may resemble a mosaic in which the touches tend to run together (as in stippling in strokes from a brush filled with color)
c. : the spattered effect produced on book edges by sprinkling
d. : a finish of paper characterized by small raised dots
2. : an effect (as in nature) resembling a stipple
3. : a brush used in stippling