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distain
[ dih-steyn ]
verb (used with object)
- to discolor; stain; sully.
Word History and Origins
Example Sentences
And I recently made a joke about my distain for tardiness — praising myself for always getting to meetings early, while my colleagues stay on CPT— which is also a racist idea.
The Chinese embassy in Canberra responded with distain.
"Unlike some who have dug their heals in the belief that police are inherently evil, I think if you yourself actually sat down and had a real honest and open conversation with a cop, there is a strong chance you may discover we are not the monsters you have come to believe we are, who deserve the hate and distain you have," Joseph continued.
Her despair upon seeing her son, and refusal to ask him for financial assistance, clearly illustrates the historical and cultural distain for tax collectors - who were viewed at the time as robbing from the Jews.
Early on in the episode, the show depicts an interaction between Nicodemus and a Roman official, an interaction that is not found in the Bible, but serves to bring to light the distain the Romans had for the "preacher."
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More About Distain
What does distain mean?
Distain is a misspelling of disdain, but it’s also an archaic word that means to stain or discolor something.
Distain is archaic, meaning it was once in common use but is now used very rarely. You’re most likely to see distain as a misspelling of the word disdain (which can be pronounced exactly the same as distain). To disdain something is to despise it.
Example: “I distain white tablecloths,” said the red wine disdainfully.
Where does distain come from?
The first records of distain come from the 1300s, when it meant “to stain or dye something with a different color.” Distain comes from French, from the word desteindre, which is based on the prefix dis-, meaning “apart” or “away,” and the Latin word tingere, meaning “to dye or paint.” (This is also the source of the word tinge). Distain’s modern synonym, stain, may come from the same roots and may simply be a shortening of distain.
By the 1400s, distain was being used to describe metaphorical stains or defilement, such as to a person’s honor or a holy site. Distain was used in this way by Shakespeare (“The worthiness of praise distains his worth”). And it was used in this sense and others by big literary figures like Geoffrey Chaucer, Chrisopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, and Robert Burns.
But its use declined by the 1900s, probably because it’s easier to say stain, which can also be used in both a literal and metaphorical sense.
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How is distain used in real life?
Distain is considered an archaic word and the word stain has essentially replaced it. Distain often appears as a misspelling of the word disdain.
distain => disdain (distain is archaic for stain or dishonor)
My biggest vocabulary builder is looking up words to learn why Word's spell checker hasn't flagged them. #amediting
— James Gallagher (@CastleWallsEdit) August 28, 2019
Try using distain!
Is distain used correctly in the following sentence?
By the war’s end, our armor and our souls had been distained by the filth of a dozen battles.
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