Standard Lemma guide

piebald

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈpaɪ.bɔːld/
  • US: /ˈpaɪ.bɔld/
  • US: /ˈpaɪ.bɑld/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P AY1 B AO2 L D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Spotted or blotched, especially in black and white.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of mixed character, heterogeneous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An animal with piebald coloration.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a jester dressed in motley
  • the painted desert
  • a particolored dress
  • a piebald horse
  • pied daisies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: motley, calico, multicolor, multi-color, multicolour, multi-colour, multicolored, multi-colored, multicoloured, multi-coloured, painted, particolored, particoloured, pied, varicolored, varicoloured

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From pie (“magpie”) + bald (“having white patches or blazes”). Compare typologically Polish srokaty < sroka.

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Baluchi: کمبر — spotted or blotched
  • Brahui: ابلخ — spotted or blotched
  • Brahui: کمبر — spotted or blotched
  • Bulgarian: шарен (šaren) — spotted or blotched
  • Bulgarian: на петна (na petna) — spotted or blotched
  • Finnish: laikukas — spotted or blotched
  • French: pie — spotted or blotched
  • German: gescheckt — spotted or blotched
  • German: scheckig — spotted or blotched
  • German: weißgescheckt — spotted or blotched
  • German: schwarzgescheckt — spotted or blotched
  • Northern Hindko: ابلق — spotted or blotched
  • Irish: alabhreac — spotted or blotched
  • Irish: ballach — spotted or blotched
  • Central Kurdish: بەڵەک (bellek) — spotted or blotched
  • Northern Kurdish: belek — spotted or blotched
  • Macedonian: абраш (abraš) — spotted or blotched
  • Māori: pōrangorango — spotted or blotched
  • Māori: kōpurepure — spotted or blotched
  • Persian: ابلک (ablak) — spotted or blotched
  • Persian: ابلق (ablaq) — spotted or blotched
  • Persian: پیسه (pise) — spotted or blotched
  • Polish: łaciaty — spotted or blotched
  • Polish: srokaty — spotted or blotched
  • Russian: пе́гий (pégij) — spotted or blotched
  • Russian: пятни́стый (pjatnístyj) — spotted or blotched
  • Sanskrit: पृषत् (pṛṣat) — spotted or blotched
  • Scottish Gaelic: breac — spotted or blotched
  • Serbo-Croatian: pjegav — spotted or blotched
  • Serbo-Croatian: pjegast — spotted or blotched
  • Serbo-Croatian: mrljast — spotted or blotched
  • Sicilian: baḍḍijatu — spotted or blotched
  • Spanish: moteado — spotted or blotched
  • Swedish: fläckig — spotted or blotched
  • Swedish: skäckig — spotted or blotched
  • Tagalog: hubero — spotted or blotched
  • Volapük: vielik — spotted or blotched
  • Welsh: du a gwyn — spotted or blotched
  • Yakut: ала (ala) — spotted or blotched
  • Bulgarian: пъстър (pǎstǎr) — of mixed character, heterogeneous
  • Bulgarian: разнообразен (raznoobrazen) — of mixed character, heterogeneous
  • Polish: niejednolity — of mixed character, heterogeneous
  • Polish: heterogeniczny — of mixed character, heterogeneous
  • Russian: пёстрый (pjóstryj) — of mixed character, heterogeneous
  • Russian: разношёрстный (raznošórstnyj) — of mixed character, heterogeneous
  • Finnish: tobiano — animal with piebald coloration
  • Macedonian: абраш (abraš) — animal with piebald coloration
  • Māori: paiporo — animal with piebald coloration
  • Polish: łaciate zwierzę — animal with piebald coloration
  • Punjabi: ਡਬਾ (ḍabā) — animal with piebald coloration
  • Punjabi: ڈبا (ḍbā) — animal with piebald coloration