taint

¹

[teynt]

noun

1. a trace of something bad, offensive, or harmful.

   Synonyms: stain, blemish, spot, fault, flaw, defect

2. a trace of infection, contamination, or the like.

3. a trace of dishonor or discredit.

4. Obsolete.,  color; tint.

verb (used with object)

1. to modify by or as if by a trace of something offensive or deleterious.

2. to infect, contaminate, corrupt, or spoil.

   Synonyms: poison, pollute, defile

3. to sully or tarnish (a person's name, reputation, etc.).

   Synonyms: stain, dishonor

4. Obsolete.,  to color or tint.

verb (used without object)

1. to become tainted; spoil.

taint

²

Or t'aint

noun

Slang: Vulgar.

1. the area between the testicles or vulva and the anus; the perineum.

taint

/ teɪnt /

verb

1. to affect or be affected by pollution or contamination

   oil has tainted the water

2. to tarnish (someone's reputation, etc)

noun

1. a defect or flaw

   a taint on someone's reputation

2. a trace of contamination or infection

Other Word Forms

• taintless adjective
• untainting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of taint¹

First recorded in 1325–75; conflation of Middle English taynt, shortened variant of attaint “struck, attainted,” past participle of attainten “to convict” ( attaint ), late Middle English taynt “hue, tint” ( tint ), from Anglo-French teint or directly from Latin tinctus, equivalent to ting(ere) “to dye, color“ ( tinge ) + -tus suffix of verb action); and teinte, from Late Latin tincta “inked stroke,” noun use of feminine of past participle of tingere

Origin of taint²

First recorded in 1955–60; casual pronunciation of it ain’t (the one or the other), i.e., it is the area in between

Word History and Origins

Origin of taint¹

C14: (influenced by attaint infected, from _attain ) from Old French teindre to dye, from Latin tingere to dye

Related Words

• besmirch 
• blight 
• cloud 
• corrupt 
• damage 
• discredit 
• harm 
• hurt 
• infect 
• muddy 
• poison 
• pollute 
• smear 
• spoil 
• stain 
• sully 
• tar 
• tarnish