variegation.

A pattern of different shades, colors, or markings within the same surface or material.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• leaf variegation
• subtle variegation
• the variegation of foliage

On the page

The variegation of the leaves became clearer as the morning light strengthened.

Usage notes

Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: moderately common.