speck

/spɛk/

/spɛk/

Other forms: specks; specked; specking

A speck is a tiny patch or spot. At night, the stars look like glittering specks against the sky. And when you look up at the night sky, you might feel like a mere speck in the universe.

A speck is a bit of color or light, or a very slight amount of something: "I'd like my eggs with lots of salt and just a speck of pepper." If you're extremely tidy, discovering specks of sand on your jeans after a walk on the beach might prompt you to change your clothes. Speck can be traced back to the Old English specca, "small spot or stain," but beyond that its origin remains a mystery.

Definitions of speck

1. noun

   a very small spot
   “the plane was just a speck in the sky”

   synonyms: pinpoint

   type of:

   dapple, fleck, maculation, patch, speckle, spot

   a small contrasting part of something
2. noun

   a slight but appreciable amount
   synonyms: hint, jot, mite, pinch, soupcon, tinge, touch, trifle

   types:

   snuff

   a pinch of smokeless tobacco inhaled at a single time

   type of:

   small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity

   an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude
3. noun

   (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything
   synonyms: atom, corpuscle, molecule, mote, particle

   types:

   grain

   a relatively small granular particle of a substance

   grinding

   material resulting from the process of grinding

   chylomicron

   a microscopic particle of triglycerides produced in the intestines during digestion; in the bloodstream they release their fatty acids into the blood

   flyspeck

   a tiny dark speck made by the excrement of a fly

   identification particle

   a tiny particle of material that can be added to a product to indicate the source of manufacture

   granule

   a tiny grain

   Microtaggant

   (trademark) a microscopic and traceable identification particle used to trace explosives or other hazardous materials or to prevent counterfeiting

   type of:

   material, stuff

   the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
4. verb

   produce specks in or on
   “speck the cloth”

   type of:

   mark

   make or leave a mark on