Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Motley"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Motley \Mot"ley\, a. [OE. mottelee, motle; cf. OF. mattel['e]
clotted, curdled, OF, ciel mattonn['e] a mottled sky, mate,
maton, curdled milk, Prov. G. matte curd. Cf. {Mottle}.]
1. Variegated in color; consisting of different colors;
dappled; party-colored; as, a motley coat.
2. Wearing motley or party-colored clothing. See {Motley},
n., 1. ``A motley fool.'' --Shak.
3. Composed of different or various parts; heterogeneously
made or mixed up; discordantly composite; as, motley
style. --Byron.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Motley \Mot"ley\, n.
1. A combination of distinct colors; esp., the party-colored
cloth, or clothing, worn by the professional fool.
--Chaucer. ``Motley 's the only wear.'' --Shak.
2. Hence, a jester, a fool. [Obs.] --Shak.
{Man of motley}, a fool. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
motley
adj 1: consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
(even to the point of incongruity); "an arrangement of
assorted spring flowers"; "assorted sizes";
"miscellaneous accessories"; "a mixed program of
baroque and contemporary music"; "a motley crew";
"sundry sciences commonly known as social"-
I.A.Richards [syn: {assorted}, {miscellaneous}, {mixed},
{sundry(a)}]
2: having sections or patches colored differently and usually
brightly; "a jester dressed in motley"; "the painted
desert,"; "a particolored dress"; "a piebald horse"; "pied
daisies" [syn: {multicolor}, {multicolour}, {multicolored},
{multicoloured}, {painted}, {particolored}, {particoloured},
{piebald}, {pied}, {varicolored}, {varicoloured}]
n 1: a collection containing a variety of sorts of things; "a
great assortment of cars was on display"; "he had a
variety of disorders" [syn: {assortment}, {mixture}, {mixed
bag}, {miscellany}, {miscellanea}, {variety}, {potpourri}]
2: a garment made of motley (especially a court jester's
costume)
3: a multicolored woolen fabric woven of mixed threads in 14th
to 17th century England
v 1: make something more diverse and varied; "Vary the menu"
[syn: {vary}, {variegate}]
2: make motley; color with different colors [syn: {parti-color}]
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