stain

[steyn]
noun
1.
a discoloration produced by foreign matter having penetrated into or chemically reacted with a material; a spot not easily removed.
2.
a natural spot or patch of color different from that of the basic color, as on the body of an animal.
3.
a cause of reproach; stigma; blemish: a stain on one's reputation.
4.
coloration produced by a dye that penetrates a substance, as wood.
5.
a dye made into a solution for coloring woods, textiles, etc.
6.
a reagent or dye used in treating a specimen for microscopic examination.
verb (used with object)
7.
to discolor with spots or streaks of foreign matter.
8.
to bring reproach or dishonor upon; blemish.
9.
to sully with guilt or infamy; corrupt.
10.
to color or dye (wood, cloth, etc.) by any of various processes that change or react with the substance chemically.
11.
to color with something that penetrates the substance.
12.
to treat (a microscopic specimen) with some reagent or dye in order to color the whole or parts and so give distinctness, contrast of tissues, etc.
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verb (used without object)
13.
to produce a stain.
14.
to become stained; take a stain: This fabric stains easily.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English steynen < Old Norse steina to paint; in some senses aphetic form of distain

Related forms
stain·a·ble, adjective
stain·a·bil·i·ty, stain·a·ble·ness, noun
stain·a·bly, adverb
stain·er, noun
de·stain·er, noun
non·stain·a·ble, adjective
non·stain·er, noun
non·stain·ing, adjective
re·stain, verb
un·der·stain, noun
un·der·stain, verb (used with object)
well-stained, adjective

Synonyms
1, 3. mark, imperfection, blot. 3. taint. 7. spot, streak, soil, dirty. 8. sully, taint, tarnish, disgrace, dishonor, debase, defile, contaminate, pollute.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
stain (steɪn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  to mark or discolour with patches of something that dirties: the dress was stained with coffee
2.  to dye with a penetrating dyestuff or pigment
3.  to bring disgrace or shame on: to stain someone's honour
4.  to colour (specimens) for microscopic study by treatment with a dye or similar reagent
5.  (intr) to produce indelible marks or discoloration: does ink stain?
 
—n
6.  a spot, mark, or discoloration
7.  a moral taint; blemish or slur
8.  a dye or similar reagent, used to colour specimens for microscopic study
9.  a solution or liquid used to penetrate the surface of a material, esp wood, and impart a rich colour without covering up the surface or grain
10.  any dye that is made into a solution and used to colour textiles and hides
 
[C14 steynen (vb), shortened from disteynen to remove colour from, from Old French desteindre to discolour, from des-dis-1 + teindre, from Latin tingere to tinge]
 
'stainable
 
—adj
 
staina'bility
 
—n
 
'stainer
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

stain
1382, probably representing a merger of O.N. steina "to paint" and an aphetic form of M.E. disteynen "to discolor or stain," from O.Fr. desteign-, stem of desteindre "to remove the color," from des- (from L. dis- "remove") + O.Fr. teindre "to dye," from L. tingere (see
tincture). The noun is from 1563. Stained glass is attested from 1791.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

stain (stān)
n.

  1. A reagent or dye that is used for staining microscopic specimens.

  2. A procedure in which a dye or a combination of dyes and reagents is used to color the constituents of cells and tissues.

v. stained, stain·ing, stains
To treat specimens for the microscope with a reagent or dye that makes visible certain structures without affecting others.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences from the web
A sodium hydroxide solution will leave a yellow stain on fabric and paper.
In carpets nylon tends to stain easily because it possesses dye sites on the fiber.
These dye sites need to be filled in order to give nylon any type of stain resistance.
Sin is not seen as a stain on the soul, but rather a mistake that needs correction.
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