Meaning

noun a very small spot

noun (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything

noun a slight but appreciable amount

originFrom earlier specke, spycke (probably reinforced by Dutch spek, German Speck), from Middle English spik, spyk, spike, spich, from Old English spic (“bacon; lard; fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *spik, from Proto-Germanic *spiką (“bacon”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Späk, Dutch spek, German Speck, Icelandic spik.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0