stain
pronunciation
How to pronounce stain in British English:
UK [steɪn]
How to pronounce stain in American English:
US [steɪn]
-
- Noun:
- a soiled or discolored appearance
- (microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible
- the state of being covered with unclean things
- a symbol of disgrace or infamy
- an act that brings discredit to the person who does it
-
- Verb:
- color with a liquid dye or tint
- produce or leave stains
- make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
- color for microscopic study
Word Origin
- stain (v.)
- late 14c., "damage or blemish the appearance of," probably representing a merger of Old Norse steina "to paint, color, stain," and a shortened form of Middle English disteynen "to discolor or stain," from Old French desteign-, stem of desteindre "to remove the color" (Modern French déteindre), from des- (from Latin dis- "remove;" see dis-) + Old French teindre "to dye," from Latin tingere (see tincture). Meaning "to color" (fabric, wood, etc.) is from 1650s. Intransitive sense "to become stained, take stain" is from 1877. Related: Stained; staining. Stained glass is attested from 1791.
- stain (n.)
- 1560s, "act of staining," from stain (v.). Meaning "a stain mark, discoloration produced by foreign matter" is from 1580s. Meaning "dye used in staining" is from 1758.
Example
- 1. I examine a stain on the tile ceiling .
- 2. The stain of cheesiness that remains is indelible .
- 3. At the moment , darfur is a stain on mankind .
- 4. Sprinkle a thick layer of borax over the stain .
- 5. This gets stuck on the cell 's surface and then reacts with a stain that is added to the sample .