English
speck
Speck comes from Middle English spekke ‘a splotch or stain’, and goes back to Old English specca.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150specca‘small spot, stain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spekke‘a splotch or stain’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667speck
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150specca‘small spot, stain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spekke‘a splotch or stain’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667speck
Earliest quotation: 1667, John Milton, (please specify the page number): “Each flower of slender stalk, whose head though gay…”
Every English word from Old English specca
Today it means
noun A tiny spot or particle, especially of dirt.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English specca / speck