piebald

1 of 2

adjective

pie·​bald ˈpī-ˌbȯld 

1

: composed of incongruous parts

2

: of different colors

especially : spotted or blotched with black and white

piebald

2 of 2

noun

: a piebald animal (such as a horse)

Did you know?

The Feathered History of Piebald

To many people, the noisy black and white birds that go by the scientific name Pica pica—better known as magpies—are nothing but pests. But the Latin root that was adopted for their name isn't a linguistic nuisance; it played an important role in the development of piebald. The pie of piebald (pie is another name for a magpie) derives from pica, which is Latin for "magpie." The other part of piebald comes from the word bald, which can mean "marked with white"; it can also be found in skewbald, an adjective used to describe animals marked with patches of white and any other color but black.

Synonyms

Adjective

• assorted
• eclectic
• heterogeneous
• indiscriminate
• kitchen-sink
• magpie
• miscellaneous
• mixed
• motley
• patchwork
• promiscuous
• raggle-taggle
• ragtag
• varied

Examples of piebald in a Sentence

Adjective

a model who owes his striking good looks to his markedly piebald ethnic background

a piebald horse that looked like it had been splashed with black and white paint

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Only 24 cases of piebald dolphins have ever been recorded, the study said, and only six have been photographed. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024

The piebald deer spotted frolicking in an Oregon field last month makes average look overrated, donning a coat sprinkled with bits of white. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024

Speckles is the first piebald dolphin ever seen in Australia. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024

Soon another ball-python type, the piebald, or pied, which features mottled brown spots on an ivory body and is considered scarce in the wild, became popular: in 1997, a pied ball python could sell for thirty thousand dollars. —Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1722, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

piebald

1 of 2 adjective

pie·​bald ˈpī-ˌbȯld 

: spotted or blotched with two different colors and especially with black and white

a piebald horse

piebald

2 of 2 noun

: a piebald animal (as a horse)