A dapple is a spot or patch of color or light, usually part of a pattern of spots scattered across a surface. You might see dappled sunlight filtering through tree leaves, creating shifting patches of brightness and shadow on the ground below. A dappled horse has a coat marked with spots or patches of different colors.

The word dapple can work as a verb too. Sunlight dapples a forest path. Rain dapples the surface of a pond with tiny circles. Artists sometimes dapple paint across a canvas to create texture and depth.

Dappled patterns appear throughout nature: the spotted coat of a fawn helps it hide in sun-speckled forests, and dappled shade under an oak tree stays cooler than full sun. The word suggests a pleasing, natural randomness rather than precise dots arranged in neat rows. When light dapples through leaves or colors dapple across an animal's fur, the effect is usually beautiful and somewhat unpredictable, like nature's own gentle artwork.