stain

[ steyn ]

noun

1. a discoloration produced by foreign matter having penetrated into or chemically reacted with a material; a spot not easily removed.

   Synonyms: blot, imperfection, mark

2. a natural spot or patch of color different from that of the basic color, as on the body of an animal.
3. a cause of reproach; stigma; blemish:

   a stain on one's reputation.

   Synonyms: taint, blot, imperfection, mark

4. coloration produced by a dye that penetrates a substance, as wood.
5. a dye made into a solution for coloring woods, textiles, etc.
6. a reagent or dye used in treating a specimen for microscopic examination.

verb (used with object)

1. to discolor with spots or streaks of foreign matter.

   Synonyms: dirty, soil, streak, spot

2. to bring reproach or dishonor upon; blemish.

   Synonyms: pollute, contaminate, defile, debase, dishonor, disgrace, tarnish, taint, sully

3. to sully with guilt or infamy; corrupt.
4. to color or dye (wood, cloth, etc.) by any of various processes that change or react with the substance chemically.
5. to color with something that penetrates the substance.
6. to treat (a microscopic specimen) with some reagent or dye in order to color the whole or parts and so give distinctness, contrast of tissues, etc.

verb (used without object)

1. to produce a stain.
2. to become stained; take a stain:

   This fabric stains easily.

stain

/ steɪn /

verb

1. to mark or discolour with patches of something that dirties

   the dress was stained with coffee

2. to dye with a penetrating dyestuff or pigment
3. to bring disgrace or shame on

   to stain someone's honour

4. to colour (specimens) for microscopic study by treatment with a dye or similar reagent
5. intr to produce indelible marks or discoloration

   does ink stain?

noun

1. a spot, mark, or discoloration
2. a moral taint; blemish or slur
3. a dye or similar reagent, used to colour specimens for microscopic study
4. a solution or liquid used to penetrate the surface of a material, esp wood, and impart a rich colour without covering up the surface or grain
5. any dye that is made into a solution and used to colour textiles and hides

Derived Forms

• ˈstainer, noun
• ˌstainaˈbility, noun
• ˈstainable, adjective

Other Words From

• staina·ble adjective
• staina·bili·ty staina·ble·ness noun
• staina·bly adverb
• stainer noun
• de·stainer noun
• non·staina·ble adjective
• non·stainer noun
• non·staining adjective
• re·stain verb
• under·stain noun
• under·stain verb (used with object)
• well-stained adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stain¹

1350–1400; Middle English steynen < Old Norse steina to paint; in some senses aphetic form of distain

Word History and Origins

Origin of stain¹

C14 steynen (vb), shortened from disteynen to remove colour from, from Old French desteindre to discolour, from des- dis- ¹+ teindre , from Latin tingere to tinge

Example Sentences

“They were trying to paint us with the Tanton stain,” he told me.

From Salon

The idea of putting fluoride in water systems started way back in the late 1940s and early 1950s after a dentist researching a dental condition involving mottled and discolored teeth called “Colorado brown stain” discovered that the cause was naturally occurring fluoride in the water.

From Salon

"Sheila Keen-Warren will always be an admitted convicted murderer and will wear that stain for every day for the rest of her life," Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said in a statement Saturday to the Associated Press.

From BBC

Thanks to their stain-, water-, and grease-resistant properties, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been a mainstay of commercial and consumer products for decades.

From Salon

In their letter to Sir Keir Starmer, the veterans' charities said £12,500 payouts would "not honour the service and sacrifice of a community who faced treatment Lord Etherton described as ‘a stain upon the illustrious history of the armed forces’."

From BBC

Related Words

• blemish
• blotch
• color
• dye
• smudge
• speck
• splotch
• stigma
• tint