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Motley

 - 4 dictionary results
Motley
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mot⋅ley

  [mot-lee] adjective, noun, plural -leys.
Use Motley in a Sentence
–adjective
1. exhibiting great diversity of elements; heterogeneous: a motley crowd.
2. being of different colors combined; parti-colored: a motley flower border.
3. wearing a parti-colored garment: a motley fool.
–noun
4. a combination of different colors.
5. a parti-colored effect.
6. the parti-colored garment of a jester.
7. a heterogeneous assemblage.
8. a medley.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; see mote 1 , -ly

Synonyms:
1. varied, mixed, incongruous.
Motley
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Mot⋅ley

  [mot-lee]
–noun
John Lo⋅throp  [loh-thruhp] , 1814–77, U.S. historian and diplomat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Motley
mot·ley   (mŏt'lē)   
adj.  

  1. Having elements of great variety or incongruity; heterogeneous: "Most Ivy League freshman classes are chosen from a motley collection of constituencies . . . and a bare majority of entering students can honestly be called scholars" (New York Times).

  2. Having many colors; variegated; parti-colored: a motley tunic.

n.   pl. mot·leys

  1. The parti-colored attire of a court jester.

  2. A heterogeneous, often incongruous mixture of elements.


[Middle English motlei, variegated cloth, variegated, probably from Anglo-Norman, probably from Middle English mot, speck; see mote1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

motley 
c.1386, from Anglo-Fr. motteley, probably from O.E. mot "speck" (see mote). "Diversified in color," especially of a fool's dress. Hence, allusively, "a fool" (1600).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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