motley

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: mot=ley

CIDE DICTIONARY

motley, a. [OE. mottelee, motle; cf. OF. mattelé clotted, curdled, OF, ciel mattonné a mottled sky, mate, maton, curdled milk, Prov. G. matte curd. Cf. Mottle.].

•  Variegated in color; consisting of different colors; dappled; party-colored; as, a motley coat.  [1913 Webster]
•  Wearing motley or party-colored clothing. See Motley, n., 1.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Composed of different or various parts; heterogeneously made or mixed up; discordantly composite; as, motley style.  Byron.  [1913 Webster]

motley, n. 

•  A combination of distinct colors; esp., the party-colored cloth, or clothing, worn by the professional fool.  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, a jester, a fool.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

Man of motley, a fool.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

motley, adj. & n.
--adj. (motlier, motliest)
1 diversified in colour.
2 of varied character (a motley crew).
--n.
1 an incongruous mixture.
2 hist. the particoloured costume of a jester.

Idiom

wear motley play the fool.

Etymology

ME mottelay, perh. ult. rel. to MOTE

THESAURUS

motley

Columbine, Hanswurst, Harlequin, Pantalone, Pantaloon, Polichinelle, Pulcinella, Punch, Punchinello, Scaramouch, amalgamated, ambiguous, ambivalent, amphibious, assorted, assortment, at odds, at variance, ballet skirt, band, bar, bespangle, bespeckle, bespot, bicolor, bicolored, bladder, blended, blotch, buffo, buffoon, buskin, calico, cap and bells, capricious, changeable, changing, check, checker, choppy, chromatic, clouded, clown, cold, colluvies, colorful, colorific, coloring, colory, combined, complex, composite, compound, compounded, conglomerate, contrary, contrasted, contrasting, cool, costume, coxcomb, crazy, daedal, dapple, dappled, departing, deviating, deviative, deviatory, dichromatic, different, differentiated, differing, disaccordant, disagreeing, discolor, discordant, discrepant, discrete, discriminated, disguise, disjoined, disorderly, disparate, dissimilar, dissonant, distinct, distinguished, divaricate, divergent, diverging, divers, divers-colored, diverse, diversified, diversiform, dot, eclectic, equivocal, erose, erratic, fifty-fifty, flake, fleck, fool, freckle, gallimaufry, getup, glowing, half-and-half, harlequin, harmonious, heterogeneous, hodgepodge, idiot, impulsive, in disagreement, inaccordant, incompatible, incongruous, inconsistent, inconsonant, inconstant, indiscriminate, inharmonious, intricate, iris, ironic, irreconcilable, irregular, jack-pudding, jagged, jerky, jester, jumble, jumbled, kaleidoscopic, maculate, many, many-colored, many-sided, marble, marbled, marbleize, masquerade, matching, medley, mercurial, merry-andrew, mingled, miscellaneous, mixed, monochromatic, monochrome, monochromic, motley fool, mottle, mottled, multicolor, multicolored, multicolorous, multifaceted, multifarious, multihued, multinational, multiracial, mutable, nonconformist, nonstandard, nonuniform, omnium-gatherum, outfit, parti-color, parti-colored, pastiche, patchy, pepper, pepper-and-salt, pickle-herring, piebald, pied, pigmentary, pinto, pluralistic, poles apart, poles asunder, polychromatic, polychrome, polychromic, polychromize, prismal, prismatic, promiscuous, ragged, rainbow, rig, rough, salad, scrambled, separate, separated, several, shot, shot through, skewbald, slapstick, sock, spangle, spasmodic, speck, speckle, spectral, splotch, sporadic, spot, sprinkle, stigmatize, stipple, streak, striate, stripe, stud, syncretic, tattoo, tessellate, thrown together, thunder and lightning, tights, tinctorial, tingent, toning, trichromatic, trichromic, tricolor, tricolored, tutu, two-tone, unconformable, uncongenial, unequable, unequal, uneven, unlike, unorthodox, unstable, unsteady, unsystematic, ununiform, variable, variant, varicolored, varied, variegate, variegated, variform, various, varying, vein, versicolor, versicolored, warm, wavering, widely apart, worlds apart, zany

ROGET THESAURUS

motley

Mixture

N mixture, admixture, commixture, commixtion, commixion, intermixture, alloyage, matrimony, junction, combination, miscegenation, impregnation, infusion, diffusion suffusion, transfusion, infiltration, seasoning, sprinkling, interlarding, interpolation, adulteration, sophistication, tinge, tincture, touch, dash, smack, sprinkling, spice, seasoning, infusion, soupcon, alloy, amalgam, brass, chowchow, pewter, magma, half-and-half, melange, tertium quid, miscellany, ambigu, medley, mess, hotchpot, pasticcio, patchwork, odds and ends, all sorts, jumble, salad, sauce, mash, omnium gatherum, gallimaufry, olla-podrida, olio, salmagundi, potpourri, Noah's ark, caldron texture, mingled yarn, mosaic, half-blood, half-caste, mulatto, terceron, quarteron, quinteron, quadroon, octoroon, griffo, zambo, cafuzo, Eurasian, fustee, fustie, griffe, ladino, marabou, mestee, mestizo, quintroon, sacatra zebrule, catalo, cross, hybrid, mongrel, mixed, implex, composite, half-and-half, linsey-woolsey, chowchow, hybrid, mongrel, heterogeneous, motley, miscellaneous, promiscuous, indiscriminate, miscible, among, amongst, amid, amidst, with, in the midst of, in the crowd.

Multiformity

N multiformity, omniformity, variety, diversity, multifariousness, varied assortment, dissimilarity, polymorphous, multiform, multifold, multifarious, multigenerous, multiplex, heterogeneous, diversified, dissimilar, various, varied, variform, manifold, many-sided, variegated, motley, mosaic, epicene, indiscriminate, desultory, irregular, mixed, different, assorted, mingled, odd, diverse, divers, all manner of, of every description, of all sorts and kinds, et hoc genus omne, and what not? de omnibus rebus et quibusdam aliis, jumbled, confused, mixed up, discordant, inharmonious, unmatched, unrelated, nonuniform, omniform, omnigenous, omnifarious, protean (form), harmoniously confused, variety's the very spice of life.

Variegation

N variegation, colors, dichroism, trichroism, iridescence, play of colors, polychrome, maculation, spottiness, striae, spectrum, rainbow, iris, tulip, peacock, chameleon, butterfly, tortoise shell, mackerel, mackerel sky, zebra, leopard, cheetah, nacre, ocelot, ophite, mother-of-pearl, opal, marble, check, plaid, tartan, patchwork, marquetry-, parquetry, mosaic, tesserae, strigae, chessboard, checkers, chequers, harlequin, Joseph's coat, tricolor, variegated, many-colored, many-hued, divers-colored, party- colored, dichromatic, polychromatic, bicolor, tricolor, versicolor, of all the colors of the rainbow, of all manner of colors, kaleidoscopic, iridescent, opaline, opalescent, prismatic, nacreous, pearly, shot, gorge de pigeon, chatoyant, irisated, pavonine, pied, piebald, motley, mottled, marbled, pepper and salt, paned, dappled, clouded, cymophanous, mosaic, tesselated, plaid, tortoise shell, spotted, spotty, punctated, powdered, speckled, freckled, flea-bitten, studded, flecked, fleckered, striated, barred, veined, brinded, brindled, tabby, watered, grizzled, listed, embroidered, daedal, naevose, stipiform, strigose, striolate, (iii) PERCEPTIONS OF LIGHT.