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Motley
adjective MAHT-lee
What It Means
Motley usually means “made up of many different people or things,” and often appears in the phrase “motley crew” or “motley mix.” It can also mean “variegated in colour.”
// I love movies that feature a motley crew of characters putting aside their differences and coming together, whether for a heist or to save the world.
// Many of the jesters at the medieval festival were dressed in bright motley garb.
MOTLEY in Context
“As evidenced by Burmese pythons and ubiquitous iguanas, there’s a motley roster of nonnative reptile species surviving in Florida—three times the amount of indigenous species—but there are two in particular that are on the rise.” — Bill Kearney, The South Florida Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2022
TEST YOUR VOCABULARY
I went to the ______ store to buy a birthday card.
stationery stationary (see answer below)
Did You Know?
The word motley wears many colourful hats, each having a distinct use. As an adjective it implies variety, be it in hues or humans. As a noun it can identify an eclectic variety, a multicoloured fabric, a garment made from such a fabric, or the jester known for wearing such garments in the European courts of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The word’s origin is unknown, but some etymologists suspect that Middle English mot, meaning “mote” or “speck,” may be its source. There may be a speck of truth to that. Surely, etymologists (and lexicographers) don’t jest. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
The Answer is: stationery
