mot·tle

[mot-l] verb, mot·tled, mot·tling, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to mark or diversify with spots or blotches of a different color or shade.
noun
2.
a diversifying spot or blotch of color.
3.
mottled coloring or pattern.

Origin:
1670–80; probably back formation from motley

mot·tle·ment, noun
mot·tler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
mottle (ˈmɒtəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  (tr) to colour with streaks or blotches of different shades
 
n
2.  a mottled appearance, as of the surface of marble
3.  one streak or blotch of colour in a mottled surface
 
[C17: back formation from motley]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Mottle is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mottle
1670s, probably a back formation from motley. Related: Mottling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Bean pod mottle virus movement in insect feeding resistant soybeans.
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