motley en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈmɒtli/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈmɑtli/ (General-American)
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.
Meanings
-
Comprising greatly varied elements, to the point of incongruity.
Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:"One of them can see you, and one of them can see an empty hallway." Reynders narrowed her bleary eyes — she wasn't wearing her glasses, for some reason — as though momentarily uncertain which sight she was seeing. She apparently decided in favour of their motley group. "I'm the one who can see you. The one who can see you can talk to you. The one who can't talk to you can see you too, sometimes, but she doesn't want to because she knows you're not there. Where she is."
2023 September 24, HarryBlank, “Working Wonders”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 25 May 2024:I met a fool i' th' forest, / A motley' fool.
c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii], lines 906–907:
- Having many colours; variegated.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| motleyer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| motliest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more motley | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most motley | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| motleyest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| motlier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
motley iron · motley crew · motleyness · motley fool
Relateds
Synonyms
multifold · catholic · various · discolored [⇒ thesaurus] (US · polychromate · kaleidoscopic · liberal · mixed · manifold · multichromatic · aurora-colored (US) / aurora-coloured · eclectic · colorful (US) / colourful · motley · obsolete) / discoloured · multicolor (US) / multicolour · dishomogeneous · multicolorous · variegated · polychromatic · diverse · multifarious · colorific · multihued · polyhued · tissued · sundry · miscellaneous · variable · heterogeneous · prismatic · variegated · manifold · varied · diversified · rainbow · rainbow-colored (US) / rainbow-coloured · multicolored (US) / multicoloured · prismatic · polychromed · heterogeneous · many-coloured · colorful · diverse · particolored (US) / particoloured · motley
Translations (69)
pdt bunt (having many colours; variegated) · de bunt zusammengeworfen (comprising greatly varied elements) · it eterogeneo (comprising greatly varied elements) · it variegato (having many colours; variegated) · es heterogéneo (comprising greatly varied elements) · nl bont (having many colours; variegated) · de bunt (comprising greatly varied elements) · de heterogen (comprising greatly varied elements) · el ετερόκλητος (comprising greatly varied elements) · nl samengeraapt (comprising greatly varied elements) · mk ша́рен (having many colours; variegated) · de divers (comprising greatly varied elements) · ro pestriț (having many colours; variegated) · ru разноцве́тный (having many colours; variegated) · es abigarrado (having many colours; variegated) · ja 寄せ集めの (comprising greatly varied elements) · nl geschakeerd (having many colours; variegated) · pt misto (comprising greatly varied elements) · de buntgescheckt (having many colours; variegated) · ro pestriț (comprising greatly varied elements) · es variopinto (comprising greatly varied elements) · fi sekalainen (comprising greatly varied elements) · bg пъстър (having many colours; variegated) · bg шарен (having many colours; variegated) · ja ごちゃ混ぜの (comprising greatly varied elements) · de verschiedenartig (comprising greatly varied elements) · de vielfarbig (having many colours; variegated) · ja 雑色の (having many colours; variegated) · ru пёстрый (having many colours; variegated) · cs strakatý (having many colours; variegated) · lt margas (having many colours; variegated) · ba сыбар (having many colours; variegated) · it multicolore (having many colours; variegated) · ro multicolor (having many colours; variegated) · fr hétéroclite (comprising greatly varied elements) · de buntgemustert (having many colours; variegated) · mk разно́роден (comprising greatly varied elements) · ru разношёрстный (comprising greatly varied elements) · ro variat (comprising greatly varied elements) · fr bigarré (having many colours; variegated) · de scheckig (having many colours; variegated) · es variado (comprising greatly varied elements) · cs různorodý (comprising greatly varied elements) · sv brokig (comprising greatly varied elements) · el πολύχρωμος (having many colours; variegated) · el ανομοιόμορφος (comprising greatly varied elements) · mk разно́боен (having many colours; variegated) · de kunterbunt (having many colours; variegated) · fa آمیخته (comprising greatly varied elements) · it variegato (comprising greatly varied elements) · ro vărgat (having many colours; variegated) · bg разнороден (comprising greatly varied elements) · de zusammengewürfelt (comprising greatly varied elements) · nl bont (comprising greatly varied elements) · cs nesourodý (comprising greatly varied elements) · pt variegado (having many colours; variegated) · ro felurit (comprising greatly varied elements) · cmn 五顏六色 /五颜六色 (having many colours; variegated) · hy խայտաբղետ (comprising greatly varied elements) · cs pestrý (having many colours; variegated) · es abigarrado (comprising greatly varied elements) · de vielfältig (comprising greatly varied elements) · de bunt (having many colours; variegated) · cs pestrý (comprising greatly varied elements) · fa رنگارنگ (having many colours; variegated) · de buntgefleckt (having many colours; variegated) · fi kirjava (having many colours; variegated) · cs různobarevný (having many colours; variegated) · sv brokig (having many colours; variegated)