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tarnish - 6 dictionary results

tar⋅nish

  [tahr-nish]
Use tarnish in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to dull the luster of (a metallic surface), esp. by oxidation; discolor.
2. to diminish or destroy the purity of; stain; sully: The scandal tarnished his reputation.
–verb (used without object)
3. to grow dull or discolored; lose luster.
4. to become sullied.
–noun
5. a tarnished coating.
6. tarnished condition; discoloration; alteration of the luster of a metal.
7. a stain or blemish.
Origin:
1590–1600; < MF terniss-, long s. of ternir to dull, deaden, deriv. of terne dull, wan < Gmc; cf. OHG tarni, c. OS derni, OE dierne hidden, obscure; see -ish 2

Related forms:
tar⋅nish⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
2. taint, blemish, soil.

Antonyms:
1. brighten.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tarnish
tar·nish   (tär'nĭsh)   
v.   tar·nished, tar·nish·ing, tar·nish·es

v.   tr.
  1. To dull the luster of; discolor, especially by exposure to air or dirt.
    1. To detract from or spoil; taint: a tragedy that tarnished our hopes.
    2. To cast aspersions on; sully: slander that tarnished the senator's image.
v.   intr.
  1. To lose luster; become discolored.
  2. To diminish or become tainted.
n.  
  1. The condition of being tarnished.
  2. Discoloration of a metal surface caused by corrosion or oxidation.
  3. The condition of being sullied or tainted.

[Middle English ternisshen, from Old French ternir, terniss-, to dull, from terne, dull, of Germanic origin.]
tar'nish·a·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Tarnish

Tar"nish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tarnished; p. pr. & vb. n. Tarnishing.] [F. ternir, fr. OHG. tarnen to darken, to conceal, hide; akin to OS. dernian to hide, AS. dernan, dyrnan, OHG. tarni hidden, OS. derni, AS. derne, dyrne. Cf. Dern, a., and see -ish.] To soil, or change the appearance of, especially by an alternation induced by the air, or by dust, or the like; to diminish, dull, or destroy the luster of; to sully; as, to tarnish a metal; to tarnish gilding; to tarnish the purity of color. "Tarnished lace." --Fuller. Used also figuratively; as, to tarnish one's honor.

Syn: To sully; stain; dim.

Tarnish

Tar"nish\, v. i. To lose luster; to become dull; as, gilding will tarnish in a foul air.

Till thy fresh glories, which now shine so bright, Grow stale and tarnish with our daily sight. --Dryden.

Tarnish

Tar"nish\, n. 1. The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.

2. (Min.) A thin film on the surface of a metal, usually due to a slight alteration of the original color; as, the steel tarnish in columbite.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : tarnish
Spanish: deslustrar(se), empañar(se); manchar(se),
German: trübe werden,anlaufen,
Japanese: 変色する
More Translations »

tarnish  (v.)
1598, from prp. stem of M.Fr. ternir "dull the luster or brightness of, make dim" (15c.), probably from O.Fr. adj. terne "dull, dark," from a Frank. source cognate with O.H.G. tarnjan "to conceal, hide," O.E. dyrnan "to hide, darken," from P.Gmc. *darnijaz, related to dark. Figurative sense is from 1697. The noun is recorded from 1713.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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