Dapʹple

The name of Sancho Panza’s donkey in Cervantesʹ romance of Don Quixote. Bailey derives dapple from the Teutonic dapper (streaked or spotted like a pippin). A dapple-grey horse is one of a light grey shaded with a dēeper hue; a dapple-bay is a light bay spotted with bay of a deeper colour. (Icelandic, depill, a spot.)