Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPECK, n. [Sax. specca; D. spikkel. In Sp. peca is a freckle or spot raised in the skin by the sun. This word may be formed from peck, for peckled has been used for speckled, spotted as though pecked. Qu. Ar. بَقَعَ bakaa, to be spotted. Class Bg, No. 31.]

1. A spot; a stain; a small place in any thing that is die colored by foreign matter, or is of a color different from that of the main substance; as, a speck on paper or cloth.
2. A very small thing.