stain

[ steyn ]

/ steɪn /

noun

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

a natural spot or patch of color different from that of the basic color, as on the body of an animal.

a cause of reproach; stigma; blemish: a stain on one's reputation.

coloration produced by a dye that penetrates a substance, as wood.

a dye made into a solution for coloring woods, textiles, etc.

a reagent or dye used in treating a specimen for microscopic examination.

verb (used with object)

to discolor with spots or streaks of foreign matter.

to bring reproach or dishonor upon; blemish.

to sully with guilt or infamy; corrupt.

to color or dye (wood, cloth, etc.) by any of various processes that change or react with the substance chemically.

to color with something that penetrates the substance.

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)

to produce a stain.

to become stained; take a stain: This fabric stains easily.

Nearby words

stagy, stagyrite, stahl, stahl, georg ernst, staid, stain, stained glass, stained glass ceiling, stainer, staines, staining

Origin of stain

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

SYNONYMS FOR stain

1, 3 mark, imperfection, blot.

3 taint.

7 spot, streak, soil, dirty.

8 sully, taint, tarnish, disgrace, dishonor, debase, defile, contaminate, pollute.

Related forms

stain·a·ble, adjectivestain·a·bil·i·ty, stain·a·ble·ness, nounstain·a·bly, adverbstain·er, noun

de·stain·er, nounnon·stain·a·ble, adjectivenon·stain·er, nounnon·stain·ing, adjectivere·stain, verbun·der·stain, nounun·der·stain, verb (used with object)well-stained, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stainer

And he felt admiration and something like emotion as he saw the first towers of Stainer Court finally appear.
The Girl From His Town|Marie Van Vorst
Now in the case of Stainer we have nothing to guide us but his variations of style, and dates of time and place.
The Violin|George Hart
The followers of Stainer have been numerous, and are mentioned in the lists of German and English makers.
The Violin|George Hart
The stainer of the sea-fowl's beak, resolved to scour the main, far distant shores connected by swift fleets.
The Norwegian account of Haco's expedition against Scotland, A.D. MCCLXIII.|Sturla rarson

There remained, after all Stainer's changes, the German sound-hole and extra arching, &c.
The Violin|George Hart

British Dictionary definitions for stainer (1 of 2)

Stainer

/ (ˈsteɪnə) /

noun

Sir John . 1840–1901, British composer and organist, noted for his sacred music, esp the oratorio The Crucifixion (1887)

British Dictionary definitions for stainer (2 of 2)

stain

/ (steɪn) /

verb (mainly tr)

to mark or discolour with patches of something that dirtiesthe dress was stained with coffee

to dye with a penetrating dyestuff or pigment

to bring disgrace or shame onto stain someone's honour

to colour (specimens) for microscopic study by treatment with a dye or similar reagent

(intr) to produce indelible marks or discolorationdoes ink stain?

noun

a spot, mark, or discoloration

a moral taint; blemish or slur

a dye or similar reagent, used to colour specimens for microscopic study

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

any dye that is made into a solution and used to colour textiles and hides

Derived Formsstainable, adjectivestainability, nounstainer, noun

Word Origin for stain

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stainer (1 of 2)

stain

late 14c., probably representing a merger of Old Norse steina "to paint" and a shortened form of Middle English disteynen "to discolor or stain," from Old French desteign-, stem of desteindre "to remove the color," from des- (from Latin dis- "remove;" see dis-) + Old French teindre "to dye," from Latin tingere (see tincture). Related: Stained; staining. Stained glass is attested from 1791.

Word Origin and History for stainer (1 of 2)

stain

1560s, from stain (v.).

Medicine definitions for stainer

stain

[ stān ]

n.

A reagent or dye that is used for staining microscopic specimens.

A procedure in which a dye or a combination of dyes and reagents is used to color the constituents of cells and tissues.

v.

To treat specimens for the microscope with a reagent or dye that makes visible certain structures without affecting others.

stain

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of stain

Examples from the Web for stainer

British Dictionary definitions for stainer (1 of 2)

Stainer

noun

British Dictionary definitions for stainer (2 of 2)

stain

verb (mainly tr)

noun

Word Origin for stain

Word Origin and History for stainer (1 of 2)

stain

Word Origin and History for stainer (1 of 2)

stain

Medicine definitions for stainer

stain

n.

v.