stain
/steɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.70 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
noun
A blemish on one's character or reputation.
noun
A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible.
noun
One of a number of non-standard tinctures used chiefly in post-medieval heraldry, especially tenné, murrey, or sanguine.
verb
To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "to stain the hand with dye"
- "armour stained with blood"
- "of Honour void, Of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie, Our wonted Ornaments now soild and staind"
- "to stain wood with acids, coloured washes, paint rubbed in, etc."
- "the stained glass used for church windows"
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: steinen, steina, ᛊᛏᚨᛁᚾᚨᛉ, *stainaz, *steyh₂-