Adjacent Words

Stain definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STAIN, v.t. [L., a sprinkle, a spread, a layer; to spread, expand, sprinkle, or be scattered. Gr.]
1. To discolor by the application of foreign matter; to make foul; to spot; as, to stain the hand with dye; to stain clothes with vegetable juice; to stain paper; armor stained with blood.
2. To dye; to tinge with a different color; as, to stain cloth.
3. To impress with figures, in colors different from the ground; as, to stain paper for hangings.
4. To blot; to soil; to spot with guilt or infamy; to tarnish; to bring reproach on; as, to stain the character.
Of honor void, of innocence, of faith, of purity, our wonted ornaments now soild and staind.
STAIN, n.
1. A spot; discoloration from foreign matter; as a stain on a garment or cloth.
2. A natural spot of a color different from the ground.
Swift trouts, diversified with crimson stains.
3. Taint of guilt; tarnish; disgrace; reproach; as the stain of sin.
Nor death itself can wholly wash their stains.
Our opinion is, I hope, without any blemish or stain of heresy.
4. Cause of reproach; shame.
Hereby I will lead her that is the praise and yet the stain of all womankind.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a soiled or discolored appearance; "the wine left a dark stain" [syn: stain, discoloration, discolouration]
2: (microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible
3: the state of being covered with unclean things [syn: dirt, filth, grime, soil, stain, grease, grunge]
4: a symbol of disgrace or infamy; "And the Lord set a mark upon Cain"--Genesis [syn: mark, stigma, brand, stain]
5: an act that brings discredit to the person who does it; "he made a huge blot on his copybook" [syn: blot, smear, smirch, spot, stain] v
1: color with a liquid dye or tint; "Stain this table a beautiful walnut color"; "people knew how to stain glass a beautiful blue in the middle ages"
2: produce or leave stains; "Red wine stains the table cloth"
3: make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man" [syn: tarnish, stain, maculate, sully, defile]
4: color for microscopic study; "The laboratory worker dyed the specimen"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English steynen, partly from Anglo-French desteindre to take away the color from & partly of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse steina to paint — more at distain Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to suffuse with color 2. discolor, soil 3. a. taint 3 <a conscience stained with guilt> b. to bring discredit on <the scandal stained his reputation> 4. to color (as wood, glass, or cloth) by processes affecting chemically or otherwise the material itself intransitive verb to receive a stain • stainable adjective • stainer noun II. noun Date: 1557 1. a. a soiled or discolored spot b. a natural spot of color contrasting with the ground 2. a taint of guilt ; stigma 3. a preparation (as of dye or pigment) used in staining: as a. a dye or pigment capable of penetrating the pores of wood b. a dye or mixture of dyes used in microscopy to make visible minute and transparent structures, to differentiate tissue elements, or to produce specific chemical reactions • stainproof adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 tr. & intr. discolour or be discoloured by the action of liquid sinking in. 2 tr. sully, blemish, spoil, damage (a reputation, character, etc.). 3 tr. colour (wood, glass, etc.) by a process other than painting or covering the surface. 4 tr. impregnate (a specimen) for microscopic examination with colouring matter that makes the structure visible by being deposited in some parts more than in others. 5 tr. print colours on (wallpaper). --n. 1 a discoloration, a spot or mark caused esp. by contact with foreign matter and not easily removed (a cloth covered with tea-stains). 2 a a blot or blemish. b damage to a reputation etc. (a stain on one's character). 3 a substance used in staining. Phrases and idioms: stained glass dyed or coloured glass, esp. in a lead framework in a window (also (with hyphen) attrib.: stained-glass window). Derivatives: stainable adj. stainer n. Etymology: ME f. distain f. OF desteindre desteign- (as DIS-, TINGE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stain Stain, v. i. To give or receive a stain; to grow dim.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stain Stain, n. 1. A discoloration by foreign matter; a spot; as, a stain on a garment or cloth. --Shak. 2. A natural spot of a color different from the gound. Swift trouts, diversified with crimson stains. --Pope. 3. Taint of guilt; tarnish; disgrace; reproach. Nor death itself can wholly wash their stains. --Dryden. Our opinion . . . is, I trust, without any blemish or stain of heresy. --Hooker. 4. Cause of reproach; shame. --Sir P. Sidney. 5. A tincture; a tinge. [R.] You have some stain of soldier in you. --Shak. Syn: Blot; spot; taint; pollution; blemish; tarnish; color; disgrace; infamy; shame.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stain Stain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stained; p. pr. & vb. n. Staining.] [Abbrev. fr. distain.] 1. To discolor by the application of foreign matter; to make foul; to spot; as, to stain the hand with dye; armor stained with blood. 2. To color, as wood, glass, paper, cloth, or the like, by processess affecting, chemically or otherwise, the material itself; to tinge with a color or colors combining with, or penetrating, the substance; to dye; as, to stain wood with acids, colored washes, paint rubbed in, etc.; to stain glass. 3. To spot with guilt or infamy; to bring reproach on; to blot; to soil; to tarnish. Of honor void, Of innocence, of faith, of purity, Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained. --Milton. 4. To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. She stains the ripest virgins of her age. --Beau. & Fl. That did all other beasts in beauty stain. --Spenser. Stained glass, glass colored or stained by certain metallic pigments fused into its substance, -- often used for making ornament windows. Syn: To paint; dye; blot; soil; sully; discolor; disgrace; taint. Usage: Paint, Stain, Dye. These denote three different processes; the first mechanical, the other two, chiefly chemical. To paint a thing is so spread a coat of coloring matter over it; to stain or dye a thing is to impart color to its substance. To stain is said chiefly of solids, as wood, glass, paper; to dye, of fibrous substances, textile fabrics, etc.; the one, commonly, a simple process, as applying a wash; the other more complex, as fixing colors by mordants.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stains, staining, stained) 1. A stain is a mark on something that is difficult to remove. Remove stains by soaking in a mild solution of bleach. ...a black stain. N-COUNT: oft supp N 2. If a liquid stains something, the thing becomes coloured or marked by the liquid. Some foods can stain the teeth, as of course can smoking. VERB: V n • stained His clothing was stained with mud. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ • -stained ...ink-stained fingers. COMB in ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Soil, sully, tarnish, spot, blot, blemish, discolor, maculate. 2. Dye, tinge, color. 3. Disgrace, pollute, corrupt, defile, dishonor, debase, deprave, contaminate, taint, blot, soil, tarnish, sully, befoul. II. n. 1. Blemish, tarnish, spot, blot, imperfection, discoloration. 2. Disgrace, dishonor, contamination, taint, reproach, tarnish, pollution, blemish. 3. Shame, disgrace, infamy, cause of reproach, reproach.

Moby Thesaurus

apply paint, aspersion, attaint, badge of infamy, bar sinister, bastardize, baton, bedaub, bedizen, begild, bend sinister, besmear, besmirch, besmoke, besmutch, besoil, bespatter, bestain, birthmark, black, black eye, black mark, blacken, blaze, blaze a trail, blemish, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blow upon, blur, brand, broad arrow, brush on paint, brutalize, calcimine, caste mark, censure, chalk, chalk up, champain, check, check off, checkmark, chromogen, cicatrix, cicatrize, coat, coat of paint, coating, color, color filter, color gelatin, colorant, coloring, complexion, contaminate, corrupt, cover, cut, dab, dapple, darken, dash, daub, dead-color, debauch, deep-dye, defame, defect, defile, define, delimit, demarcate, demoralize, deprave, dip, dirty, disapprove, discolor, discoloration, disgrace, disparage, disparagement, distemper, dot, double-dye, drier, dye, dyestuff, earmark, emblazon, enamel, engild, engrave, engraving, expose, expose to infamy, exterior paint, eyesore, face, fast-dye, flat coat, flat wash, flaw, fleck, flick, floor enamel, flyspeck, freckle, fresco, gash, gibbet, gild, glaze, gloss, grain, graving, ground, hack, hang in effigy, hatch, hue, illuminate, imbue, impress, imprint, imputation, ingrain, interior paint, japan, jot, lacquer, lay on color, lentigo, line, macula, maculation, macule, make a mark, mark, mark of Cain, mark off, mark out, marking, medium, mole, mottle, nevus, nick, notch, odium, onus, opaque color, paint, parget, patch, pencil, pepper, pervert, pigment, pillory, pillorying, point, point champain, polka dot, prick, prime, prime coat, primer, priming, print, punch, punctuate, puncture, reflection, reprimand, reproach, riddle, ruin, scar, scarification, scarify, scorch, score, scotch, scratch, scratching, seal, seam, sear, shade, shadow, shame, shellac, singe, slop on paint, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smoke, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, soilage, soilure, spatter, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splotch, spoil, spot, stamp, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, stigmatize, stipple, strawberry mark, streak, striate, stripe, sully, taint, tar, tarnish, tattoo, tattoo mark, tempera, thinner, tick, tick off, tinct, tinction, tincture, tinge, tint, tittle, tone, trace, transparent color, turpentine, turps, undercoat, undercoating, underline, underscore, varnish, vehicle, vilify, wash, wash coat, watermark, whitewash