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A rail; as, the water rail (called also skitty cock, and skitty coot); the spotted crake (Porzana maruetta), and the moor hen. [Prov. Eng.]

liquid carelessly spilled or thrown aboyt, as upon a table or a floor; a puddle; a soiled spot.

Hence, a spot made by, or as by, an unctuous or adhesive substance; a blot or blotch; a daub; a stain. Slow broke the morn, All damp and rolling vapor, with no sun, But in its place a moving smear of light. Alexander Smith.

Foul matter, like soot or coal dust; also, a spot or soil made by such matter.

A stain; a dirty spot. B. Jonson.

The Guinea-hen flower; -- so called in England because its spotted petals resemble the scales of a snake's head. Dr. Prior. Snake's-head iris (Bot.), an iridaceous plant (Hermodactylus tuberosus) of the Mediterranean region. The flowers slightly resemble a serpent's open mouth.

Fig.: Pure; unblemished; unstained; spotless. There did he lose his snowy innocence. J. Hall (1646). Snowy heron (Zoöl.), a white heron, or egret (Ardea candidissima), found in the Southern United States, and southward to Chili; -- called also plume bird. -- Snowy lemming (Zoöl.), the collared lemming (Cuniculus torqu…

That which soils or pollutes; a soiled place; spot; stain. A lady's honor . . . will not bear a soil. Dryden.

radiating nerve fibers; -- so called in allusion to the radiating nerve fibers. -- Solar spots. See Sun spots, under Sun. -- Solar system (Astron.), the sun, with the group of celestial bodies which, held by its attraction, revolve round it. The system comprises the major planets, with their satellites; the minor pla…

rid moth (Euschema militaris), having the wings bright yellow with bluish black lines and spots. -- Soldier orchis (Bot.), a kind of orchis (Orchis militaris).

To show brilliant spots or points; to glisten; to glitter. Some men by feigning words as dark as mine Make truth to spangle, and its rays to shine. Bunyan.

d bull mackerel. (b) In the United States, a handsome mackerel having bright yellow round spots (Scomberomorus maculatus), highly esteemed as a food fish. The name is sometimes erroneously applied to other species. See Illust. under Mackerel. -- Spanish main, the name formerly given to the southern portion of the Cari…

with a liquid or with any wet substance, as water, mud, or the like; to make wet of foul spots upon by sprinkling; as, to spatter a coat; to spatter the floor; to spatter boots with mud. Upon any occasion he is to be spattered over with the blood of his people. Burke.

or on anything, or a small place of a color different from that of the main substance; a spot; a stain; a blemish; as, a speck on paper or loth; specks of decay in fruit. "Gray sand, with black specks." Anson.

A little or spot in or anything, of a different substance or color from that of the thing itself. An huge great serpent, all with speckles pied. Spebser.

Marked or variegated with small spots of a different color from that of the rest of the surface. Speckled Indians (Ethnol.), the Pintos. -- Speckled trout. (Zoöl.) (a) The common American brook trout. See Trout. (b) The rainbow trout.

Having the color spots, or structural parts, arranged spirally.

er, or water and dirt, thrown upon anything, or thrown from a puddle or the like; also, a spot or daub, as of matter which wets or disfigures.

A spot; a stain; a daub. R. Browning.

Interrupted by unproductive spots; -- said of a flied of turnips or grain. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.