stain
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stain
- /steɪn/
Rhymes with -eɪn
Where it comes from
From Middle English steinen, steynen (“to stain, colour, paint”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse steina (“to stain, colour, paint”), from steinn (“stone, mineral blue, colour, stain”), from Proto-Norse ᛊᛏᚨᛁᚾᚨᛉ (stainaʀ), from Proto-Germanic *stainaz (“stone”), from Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- (“to stiffen”). Cognate with Old English stān (“stone”). More at stone.
Replaced native Middle English wem (“spot, blemish, stain”), from Old English wamm (“spot, stain”).
In some senses, influenced by unrelated Middle English disteynen (“to discolor, remove the colour from"; literally, "de-colour”), from Anglo-Norman desteindre (“to remove the colour from, bleach”), from Old French destaindre (“to remove the color from, bleach”), from des- (“dis-, de-, un-”) + teindre (“to dye”), from Latin tingo.
noun stains
- A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
- A blemish on one's character or reputation.
- A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it. The wood will darken whether it is stained or not—the main function of a stain is to enhance the wood's natural color and emphasize its grain.
- A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible.
- One of a number of non-standard tinctures used chiefly in post-medieval heraldry, especially tenné, murrey, or sanguine.
verb stains · staining · stained
-
To discolor, as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance.
to stain the hand with dye
Similar: besmirch, defile, sully, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, befoul
-
To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
of Honour void,
Of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie,
Our wonted Ornaments now soild and staind
Similar: besmirch, blot, denigrate, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel, besmear, bewray, blacken
- To coat a surface with a stain to stain wood with acids, coloured washes, paint rubbed in, etc.
- To become stained; to take a stain.
- To treat (a microscopic specimen) with a dye, especially one that dyes specific features
- To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. She stains the ripest virgins of her age.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: blot, fleck, smirch, smear, blob, discoloration, discolouration, grease, brand, filth, grime, spot, mark, dirt, soil, stigma
Translations
Every language
noun discoloured spot or area
| Español | mancha, lamparón, rodal, mácula, churretón, chorretón |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 얼룩 eolluk |
| 日本語 | 染み shimi |
| 中文 | 污跡 /污迹 wūjì, 污漬 /污渍 wūzì |
| हिन्दी | दाग dāg, दाग़ dāġ |
| Português | nódoa, mancha, mácula |
| Français | tache |
| Deutsch | Fleck, Schmutzspur, Fehler, Verfärbung, Brandfleck |
| Italiano | macchia, chiazza, patacca |
| Ελληνικά | κηλίδα kilída |
| Română | pată |
| Русский | пятно́ pjatnó |
| Tiếng Việt | tật, vết |
| العربية | بُقْعَة buqʕa |
noun blemish on one's character or reputation
| Español | tacha, mancilla |
|---|---|
| Français | souillure |
| Deutsch | Schandfleck, Makel, Stigma |
| Ελληνικά | κηλίδα kilída |
| Русский | пятно́ pjatnó, пятно́ позора pjatnó pozora |
noun substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
| 한국어 | 착색 chaksaek |
|---|---|
| Português | colorante, tinta |
| Français | colorant |
| Deutsch | Tinte, Beize, Färbemittel, Farbstoff |
| Italiano | tinta, mordente |
| Ελληνικά | βαφή vafí, χρώμα chróma |
| Русский | кра́ска kráska, морилка morilka |
noun reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible
| Español | contraste |
|---|
verb to taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
| Español | manchar |
|---|---|
| Français | entacher |
| Deutsch | beflecken, beschmutzen, in den Schmutz ziehen, (Charakter) entstellen, besudeln |
| Italiano | macchiare, intaccare |
| Русский | запятнать zapjatnatʹ |
verb to coat a surface with a stain
| Deutsch | beizen |
|---|---|
| Italiano | mordenzare |
| Русский | кра́сить krásitʹ, морить moritʹ |
Talk about this word "stain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/stain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. stain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/stain "stain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/stain.Cite this
@misc{stain_2026,
title = {stain},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/stain},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
