Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of the small brownish spots on the skin that turn darker or increase in number upon exposure to the sun.
  • transitive & intransitive verb To dot or become dotted with freckles or spots of color.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To mark with freckles or spots: as, his face was freckled by the sun.
  • To become covered with freckles: as, the face freckles by exposure.
  • noun A brownish-yellow spot in the skin, particularly on the face, neck, or hands, either hereditary or produced by exposure to the sun. These spots usually occur in large number, and are due to increase in the pigment of the lower layers of the epidermis.
  • noun Any small spot or discoloration; a fleck.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A small yellowish or brownish spot in the skin, particularly on the face, neck, or hands.
  • noun Any small spot or discoloration.
  • intransitive verb To become covered or marked with freckles; to be spotted.
  • transitive verb To sprinkle or mark with freckles or small discolored spots; to spot.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A small brownish or reddish pigmentation spot on the surface of the skin.
  • verb transitive To cover with freckles.
  • verb intransitive To become covered with freckles.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb become freckled
  • noun a small brownish spot (of the pigment melanin) on the skin
  • verb mark with freckles

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Middle English frakles, freckles, alteration of fraknes, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse freknōttr, freckly.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English freken, frekel, from Old Norse freknur pl. (cf. Swedish fräkne, Danish fregne), s-less variant of Proto-Germanic *sprekalan 'freckle' (compare Norwegian dialect sprekla, Middle High German spreckel), from Proto-Indo-European *sp(h)er(e)g- 'to strew, sprinkle'. Cognate with Albanian fruth ("measles"). More at spark. Related to spry, sprack.

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Examples

  • "So what's gonna happen to 'em?" called a freckle-faced boy from the back of the classroom.

    Hoot Hiaasen, Carl 2002

  • "Trade with you, Bobby," called a freckle-faced boy, dragging an old tin tray.

    Four Little Blossoms and Their Winter Fun Mabel C. Hawley

  • Honestly, I've always been called freckle face Felicia.

    Top Model Gossip 2009

  • Honestly, I've always been called freckle face Felicia.

    Top Model Gossip 2009

  • The truth is... freckles do not hurt; my "freckle" was killing me.

    Archive 2008-08-01 Wendy 2008

  • I noticed a mark on my neck about a year ago, but in my haste to get my son to soccer practice, skiing lessons, PTA meetings, working on homework with him, being classroom mom, working 35 hours at my job and being an overall over-achiever, I did not go to the doctor and have the "freckle" checked out.

    On a personal note... Skin Cancer Part I Wendy 2008

  • The truth is... freckles do not hurt; my "freckle" was killing me.

    On a personal note... Skin Cancer Part I Wendy 2008

  • I noticed a mark on my neck about a year ago, but in my haste to get my son to soccer practice, skiing lessons, PTA meetings, working on homework with him, being classroom mom, working 35 hours at my job and being an overall over-achiever, I did not go to the doctor and have the "freckle" checked out.

    Archive 2008-08-01 Wendy 2008

  • But Mrs. Resnick hesitated, while Mark scratched a freckle on his arm like a scratch-n-sniff.

    The Adults Alison Espach 2011

  • I was happy to be tour guide and companion to Melanie and this freckle-faced strawberry blond bundle of energy.

    Margie Goldsmith: The Bucket-List Tour of New York City Margie Goldsmith 2011

Comments

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  • Adj. Hot-spirited. Dr. Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary and Supplement, 1841.

    June 13, 2011