'Stain' definitions:

Definition of 'stain'

From: WordNet
noun
A soiled or discolored appearance; "the wine left a dark stain" [syn: stain, discoloration, discolouration]
noun
(microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible
noun
The state of being covered with unclean things [syn: dirt, filth, grime, soil, stain, grease, grunge]
noun
A symbol of disgrace or infamy; "And the Lord set a mark upon Cain"--Genesis [syn: mark, stigma, brand, stain]
noun
An act that brings discredit to the person who does it; "he made a huge blot on his copybook" [syn: blot, smear, smirch, spot, stain]
verb
Color with a liquid dye or tint; "Stain this table a beautiful walnut color"; "people knew how to stain glass a beautiful blue in the middle ages"
verb
Produce or leave stains; "Red wine stains the table cloth"
verb
Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man" [syn: tarnish, stain, maculate, sully, defile]
verb
Color for microscopic study; "The laboratory worker dyed the specimen"

Definition of 'Stain'

From: GCIDE
  • Stain \Stain\ (st[=a]n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stained (st[=a]nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Staining.] [Abbrev. fr. distain.]
  • 1. To discolor by the application of foreign matter; to make foul; to spot; as, to stain the hand with dye; armor stained with blood. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. To color, as wood, glass, paper, cloth, or the like, by processes affecting, chemically or otherwise, the material itself; to tinge with a color or colors combining with, or penetrating, the substance; to dye; as, to stain wood with acids, colored washes, paint rubbed in, etc.; to stain glass. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. To spot with guilt or infamy; to bring reproach on; to blot; to soil; to tarnish. [1913 Webster]
  • Of honor void, Of innocence, of faith, of purity, Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. [1913 Webster]
  • She stains the ripest virgins of her age. --Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster]
  • That did all other beasts in beauty stain. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
  • Stained glass, glass colored or stained by certain metallic pigments fused into its substance, -- often used for making ornamental windows. [1913 Webster]
  • Syn: To paint; dye; blot; soil; sully; discolor; disgrace; taint.
  • Usage: Paint, Stain, Dye. These denote three different processes; the first mechanical, the other two, chiefly chemical. To paint a thing is to spread a coat of coloring matter over it; to stain or dye a thing is to impart color to its substance. To stain is said chiefly of solids, as wood, glass, paper; to dye, of fibrous substances, textile fabrics, etc.; the one, commonly, a simple process, as applying a wash; the other more complex, as fixing colors by mordants. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Stain'

From: GCIDE
  • Stain \Stain\, v. i. To give or receive a stain; to grow dim. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Stain'

From: GCIDE
  • Stain \Stain\, n.
  • 1. A discoloration by foreign matter; a spot; as, a stain on a garment or cloth. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. A natural spot of a color different from the gound. [1913 Webster]
  • Swift trouts, diversified with crimson stains. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. Taint of guilt; tarnish; disgrace; reproach. [1913 Webster]
  • Nor death itself can wholly wash their stains. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
  • Our opinion . . . is, I trust, without any blemish or stain of heresy. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. Cause of reproach; shame. --Sir P. Sidney. [1913 Webster]
  • 5. A tincture; a tinge. [R.] [1913 Webster]
  • You have some stain of soldier in you. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • Syn: Blot; spot; taint; pollution; blemish; tarnish; color; disgrace; infamy; shame. [1913 Webster]

Synonyms of 'stain'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'Stain'