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motley

adj
/ˈmɒtli/UK/ˈmɑtli/US

Etymology

From Middle English motle, from Anglo-Norman motteley (“parti-colored”), from Old English mot (“speck”). Doublet of mote. The English word can be analysed as mottle + -y.

  1. derived from mot — “speck”
  2. derived from motteley — “parti-colored”
  3. inherited from motle

Definitions

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

    • I met a fool i' th' forest, / A motley' fool.

  2. Having many colours

    Having many colours; variegated.

  3. An incongruous mixture.

  4. ›+ 6 more definitions

    1. A jester's multicoloured clothes.

    2. A jester

      A jester; a fool.

      • Wil you be married, Motley?
      • Alas, 'tis true, I have gone here and there, / And made myself a motley to the view, […]

    3. To give something a patchwork appearance.

    4. To make something multicolored, variegated, or diverse in character.

    5. A surname.

    6. A city in Morrison County and Cass County, Minnesota, United States.

The neighborhood

Derived

motley crew, motley fool, motley iron, motleyness

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for motley. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA