different between motley vs brindled

English

Etymology

From Middle English motle, from Anglo-Norman motteley (“parti-colored”), late 14th c., from Old English mot (“speck”), cognate with mote.

Equivalent to mottle +? -y

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?tli/

Adjective

motley (comparative more motley or motlier, superlative most motley or motliest)

1. Comprising greatly varied elements, to the point of incongruity.

   Synonyms: heterogeneous, diverse, manifold; see also Thesaurus:heterogeneous
2. Having many colours; variegated.

   Synonyms: colorful, prismatic, variegated; see also Thesaurus:multicolored

Derived terms

• motley crew

Translations

Noun

motley (plural motleys)

1. An incongruous mixture.
2. A jester's multicoloured clothes.
3. (by extension) A jester; a fool.

Translations

Anagrams

• etymol.

English

Etymology

An alteration of brinded, probably by association with speckled, grizzled etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b??nd?ld/

Adjective

brindled (comparative more brindled, superlative most brindled)

1. of a brownish, tawny or gray colour, with streaks or spots; streaky, spotted
   • 1725, Pope, Odyssey (translation), book 10

     The palace in a woody vale they found,

     High raised of stone; a shaded space around;

     Where mountain wolves and brindled lions roam,

     (By magic tamed,) familiar to the dome.

   • 1904, Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘The Adventure of Black Peter’ (Norton 2005, p.982)

     And there, in the middle of it was the man himself—his face twisted like a lost soul in torment, and his great brindled beard stuck upwards in his agony.

Translations

Verb

brindled

1. simple past tense and past participle of brindle