a. [ OE. daper; prob. fr. D. dapper brave, valiant; akin to G. tapfer brave, OHG. taphar heavy, weighty, OSlav. dobrŭ good, Russ. dobrui. Cf. Deft. ] Little and active; spruce; trim; smart; neat in dress or appearance; lively. [ 1913 Webster ]

He wondered how so many provinces could be held in subjection by such a dapper little man. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dapper ditties that I wont devise. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sharp-nosed, dapper steam yachts. Julian Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A dwarf; a dandiprat. [ r. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Icel. depill a spot, a dot, a dog with spots over the eyes, dapi a pool, and E. dimple. ] One of the spots on a dappled animal. [ 1913 Webster ]

He has . . . as many eyes on his body as my gray mare hath dapples. Sir P. Sidney.

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dappled p. pr. & vb. n. Dappling. ] To variegate with spots; to spot. [ 1913 Webster ]

The gentle day, . . .
Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dappled pink and blushing rose. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , a. Marked with spots of different shades of color; spotted; variegated; as, a dapple horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some dapple mists still floated along the peaks. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The word is used in composition to denote that some color is variegated or marked with spots; as, dapple-bay; dapple-gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

His steed was all dapple-gray. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

O, swiftly can speed my dapple-gray steed. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]