fleck — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A flake.

   Examples

   two flecks of Lard cut with your knife

2. A lock, as of wool.

   Examples

   With teeth they smooth their work, as on it slips, And flecks of wool stick to their wither'd lips

   A single fleck of wool from his sock got caught on a splintery floorboard and that was enough to convict him.

3. A small spot or streak; a speckle.

   Synonyms

   moteparticlespecktittle

   Examples

   So fret not, like an idle girl, / That life is dash'd with flecks of sin. / Abide: thy wealth is gathered in, / When Time hath sunder'd shell from pearl.

4. A small amount.

   Examples

   a fleck of hope

   a fleck of imagination

Verb

1. To mark (something) with small spots.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   So this was my future home, I thought![…]Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.

   It was a perfect June day, with only a few light clouds flecking a pure blue sky.

   The Names of the Moons of Mars is a frequently somber book, flecked through with optimism and humor.

Noun

1. a small fragment of something broken off from the whole

   Synonyms

   bitchipflakescrap

   Broader terms

   fragment

   Examples

   a bit of rock caught him in the eye

2. a small contrasting part of something

   Synonyms

   spotspeckledapplepatchmaculation

   Broader terms

   marking

   Examples

   a bald spot

   a leopard's spots

   More examples (3)

   a patch of clouds

   patches of thin ice

   a fleck of red

Verb

1. make a spot or mark onto

   Synonyms

   spotblobblot

   Broader terms

   change surface

   Examples

   The wine spotted the tablecloth