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tarnish

[tahr-nish]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to dull the luster of (a metallic surface), especially by oxidation; discolor.
  2. to diminish or destroy the purity of; stain; sully: The scandal tarnished his reputation.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to grow dull or discolored; lose luster.
  2. to become sullied.
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noun
  1. a tarnished coating.
  2. tarnished condition; discoloration; alteration of the luster of a metal.
  3. a stain or blemish.
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Origin of tarnish

1590–1600; < Middle French terniss-, long stem of ternir to dull, deaden, derivative of terne dull, wan < Germanic; compare Old High German tarni, cognate with Old Saxon derni, Old English dierne hidden, obscure; see -ish2
Related formstar·nish·a·ble, adjectivean·ti·tar·nish, adjectivean·ti·tar·nish·ing, adjectivenon·tar·nish·a·ble, adjectivenon·tar·nished, adjectivenon·tar·nish·ing, adjectiveun·tar·nish·a·ble, adjectiveun·tar·nished, adjectiveun·tar·nish·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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2. taint, blemish, soil.

Antonyms

1. brighten.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

sully, dim, harm, mar, pollute, smear, muddy, damage, defame, taint, impair, spoil, embarrass, stain, hurt, dull, tar, defile, befoul, blot

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British Dictionary definitions for tarnish

tarnish

verb
  1. to lose or cause to lose the shine, esp by exposure to air or moisture resulting in surface oxidation; discoloursilver tarnishes quickly
  2. to stain or become stained; taint or spoila fraud that tarnished his reputation
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noun
  1. a tarnished condition, surface, or film
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Derived Formstarnishable, adjectivetarnisher, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Old French ternir to make dull, from terne lustreless, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German tarnen to conceal, Old English dierne hidden
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 tarnish

v.

1590s, from present participle stem of Middle French ternir "dull the luster or brightness of, make dim" (15c.), probably from Old French terne (adj.) "dull, dark," from a Germanic source cognate with Old High German tarnjan "to conceal, hide," Old English dyrnan "to hide, darken," from Proto-Germanic *darnjaz (see dern). Figurative sense is from 1690s. Related: Tarnished; tarnishing.

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n.

1713, from tarnish (v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper