Stain
WordNet
noun
(1) An act that brings discredit to the person who does it
"He made a huge blot on his copybook"
(2) A soiled or discolored appearance
"The wine left a dark stain"
(3) A symbol of disgrace or infamy
"And the Lord set a mark upon Cain"--Genesis
(4) The state of being covered with unclean things
(5) (microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible
verb
(6) Color for microscopic study
"The laboratory worker dyed the specimen"
(7) 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"
(8) Produce or leave stains
"Red wine stains the table cloth"
(9) 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"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
steynen "to stain, paint" from Old Norse steina "to paint". In some senses, perhaps influenced by confusion with M.E. disteynen "to discolor" from Old French desteindre "to remove the color, bleach" from des- + teindre "to dye" from Latin tingere
Noun
- A discoloured spot or area.
- A blemish on one's character or reputation.
- A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it.
- A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible.