dabbled

dab·ble  (dbl)

v. dab·bled, dab·bling, dab·bles

v.tr.

To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid: "The moon hung over the harbor dabbling the waves with gold" (Katherine Mansfield).

v.intr.

1. To splash liquid gently and playfully.

2. To undertake something superficially or without serious intent: "The restaurant business entails more than . . . dabbling in interior design" (Andy Birsh).

3. To bob forward and under in shallow water so as to feed off the bottom.

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[Possibly from Dutch dabbelen, frequentative of dabben, to strike, tap.]

Thesaurus

Adj.

1.

dabbled - covered with bright patches (often used in combination); "waves dabbled with moonlight"; "a blood-spattered room"; "gardens splashed with color"; "kitchen walls splattered with grease" spattered, splattered, splashed covered - overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form; "women with covered faces"; "covered wagons"; "a covered balcony"