stain

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 wem (“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.

• IPA^(key): /steɪn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪn

stain (plural stains)

1. A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
2. A blemish on one's character or reputation.
3. A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it.
   • 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 93:

     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.

4. A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible.
5. (heraldry) One of a number of non-standard tinctures used chiefly in post-medieval heraldry, especially tenné, murrey, or sanguine.

stain (third-person singular simple present stains, present participle staining, simple past and past participle stained)

1. (transitive) To discolor, as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance.

   to stain the hand with dye

   armour stained with blood

2. To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     of Honour void,
     Of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie,
     Our wonted Ornaments now soild and staind

3. To coat a surface with a stain

   to stain wood with acids, coloured washes, paint rubbed in, etc.

   the stained glass used for church windows

4. (intransitive) To become stained; to take a stain.
5. (transitive, cytology, histology) To treat (a microscopic specimen) with a dye, especially one that dyes specific features
6. To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison.
   • c. 1607–1611, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “Cupid’s Revenge”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii:

     She stains the ripest virgins of her age.

   • 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], Daphnaïda. An Elegy upon the Death of the Noble and Vertuous Douglas Howard,Daughter and Heire of Henry Lord Howard, Viscount Byndon, and Wife of Arthure Gorges Esquier. […], London: […] [Thomas Orwin] for William Ponsonby, […], →OCLC:

     that did all other beasts in beauty stain

• saint, stian, Sinta, Saint, antis, Natsi, tians, insta-, Tians, Astin, Santi, satin, sat in, naits, Insta, Tanis, tisan

stain

1. Romanization of 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌽

From Old Norse steinn (“stone”), from Proto-Norse ᛊᛏᚨᛁᚾᚨᛉ (stainaʀ), from Proto-Germanic *stainaz (“stone”). Cognate with English stone, German Stein, Dutch steen, Danish sten, Norwegian Bokmål sten, Norwegian Nynorsk stein, Swedish sten, Faroese steinur, West Frisian stien, Low German Steen. Ultimately from Pre-Germanic *stoyh₂nos, o-grade from Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- (“to stiffen”).

stain m

1. stone, rock, as material or individual piece of rock or pebble

stain

1. Alternative form of stonen