Small spots, streaks, or particles of something, like specks of dust or tiny bits of color. The painting had flecks of gold paint throughout.
From Middle Dutch vlekke or Old Norse flökkr, possibly related to 'fleck' meaning to dapple or spot. The word may be imitative, suggesting the appearance of small scattered marks.
Fleck has a fun ancestry in Dutch and Norse, and medieval artists used it to describe speckled patterns in nature—birds' eggs, leopard spots, anything with scattered dots. It's become especially beloved in modern design and art because it perfectly captures texture!
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