stippling
stippling Lexical Profile
stippling Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The artistic technique or process of drawing, painting, or engraving by applying numerous small dots or specks to create shading, texture, or gradations of light and shadow.
"The illustrator used fine ink stippling to render the intricate shadows across the subject's face."
A pattern, texture, or surface marking consisting of numerous small dots, specks, or indentations, including dotted cellular patterns seen in medical histology.
"Under the microscope, basophilic stippling in the red blood cells indicated potential lead toxicity."
Word Nuance & Usage
In art history and studio practice, stippling is often distinguished from pointillism: stippling uses dots of a single color (often black ink) to create shading and texture, whereas pointillism uses dots of distinct colors that blend optically in the viewer's eye.
• Rhymes for stippling
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the verb 'stipple', which was borrowed in the late 18th century from the Dutch 'stippelen' (to speckle or dot), a frequentative form of 'stippen' (to prick or dot).