a very small piece► grain a very small hard piece of something such as sand or salt: · If you drop any rice you'll have to pick up every single grain.grain of: · You always end up with grains of sand in your food when you eat at the beach.· A few grains of the tablet are left at the bottom of the glass.
► flake a very small, flat piece of something such as snow or skin, that breaks easily: · Her sunburnt skin was beginning to peel off in big flakes.flake of: · Large white flakes of snow fell upon the cold ground.· She brushed the flakes of dandruff from her shoulder.
► speck a piece of dust, dirt etc that is so small you almost cannot see it: · She realized that the specks on his shirt were not dirt but blood.speck of: · The room looked immaculate, not a speck of dust anywhere.
► fleck a small piece of dirt, dust, mud etc, usually in the form of a small mark or spot, that can be seen on a surface: fleck of: · There were flecks of mud on my trousers after the walk in the woods.· By the time he'd finished painting the ceiling the whole floor was covered with flecks of red paint.
► crumb a very small piece of food such as bread or cake: · Put a plate under your chin to catch the crumbs.· Cameron quickly swallowed his coffee and bread, and wiped the crumbs from his mouth.breadcrumbs: · Roll the fish in breadcrumbs and grill it for half an hour.
► morsel a word meaning a very small piece of food, used especially in literature: · She had cleared her plate of every morsel.morsel of: · Two gulls were fighting over a morsel of food.
1a small mark or spot SYN speckfleck of
a black beard with flecks of gray2a small piece of something SYN speckfleck of