variegation

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Marking with different colors

Nouns

1. variegation, diversification, diversity, heterogeneity; spottiness, maculation, striation, streakiness, marbling, elaboration, discoloration; parti- or party-color, dichroism, dichromatism, polychrome; iridescence, iridization, opalescence, play of colors; counterchange. See color.

2. stripes, bands, streaks, striae; vein, thread, line; check, plaid, tartan, motley, tricolor; marquetry, parquetry, mosaic, tessellation, tesserae; chessboard, checkerboard; confetti, patchwork, crazy quilt, harlequin, Joseph's coat [of many colors]; spectrum, rainbow, iris, tulip; peacock, chameleon, butterfly, zebra, leopard, piebald; tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, nacre, opal, marble, mackerel sky; kaleidoscope; color organ.

Verbs — variegate, vary, variate, varify, diversify; stripe, striate, streak, line, checker, counterchange; [be]spot, dot, mottle, dapple, brindle, pie, [be]speckle, freckle, [be]sprinkle, stipple, maculate, fleck, pepper, powder; inlay, tessellate, tattoo, damascene; vein, marble[ize], water; embroider, figure, braid, quilt, fret, lace, interlace.

Adjectives — variegated, varied, various, diverse, diversified; many-colored or -hued, multi- or varicolored, parti- or party-colored, divers-colored; bi-color, tricolor, versicolor, polychromatic, dichromatic, kaleidoscopic[al]; chameleonic; iridescent, opalescent, opaline, prismatic, rainbow-hued, rainbowlike, nacreous, nacre, pearly, chatoyant, cymophanous, tortoise-shell, shot; pied, paint, pinto, piebald; mottled, motley, harlequin, marbled, dappled, clouded, paned, pepper-and-salt, calico; spotted, spotty, dotted and speckled, freckled, studded, flecked, peppered, powdered, punctuated; striped, listed, streaked, streaky, banded, barred, cross-striped, grizzled; mosaic, tessellated, plaid, tartan, checkered, checked, embroidered, daedal; brindle[d], tabby; blotchy.

Antonyms, see uniformity, color.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. striation, iridescence, spectrum, rainbow; see color 1 , 2 .

III

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun The quality of being made of many different elements, forms, kinds, or individuals: diverseness, diversification, diversity, heterogeneity, heterogeneousness, miscellaneousness, multifariousness, multiformity, multiplicity, variety, variousness. Biology: polymorphism. See SAME.