Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1768-1769, 1895-1905
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SPECKLE, n.1 Dim. form and adj. specklie (Ags. 1921 V. Jacob Bonnie Joann 38–39). As in Eng. Sc. combs. (1) speckle-bed, a variety of wild flower with speckled markings; ¶(2) speckle-bird, a bird with speckled markings, a showy bird; used fig. in quot.; (3) speckled hen, see quot.(1) Fif. 1895 C. Gulland Poet. Selections 171:
And buttercups and specklebeds Bedeck the smilin' braes.(2) Abd. p.1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 186:
Ay, Henny, sick are only speckle birds An' aften times mista'en by giglet flirds.(3) Sc. 1905 A. R. Forbes Gaelic Names 253:
The cormorant passes through three stages of existence; in the first year it is called a scart, for seven years a speckled hen, and for seven more a cormorant.
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"Speckle n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Aug 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/speckle_n1>
