Definition of: stain

(stān) noun
1. A discoloration from foreign matter; a spot; smirch; blot.
2. The act of discoloring, or the state of being discolored.
3. A dye or thin pigment used in staining.
4. A chemical reagent for coloring microscopic specimens.
5. A moral taint; tarnish. [<v.]
—v.t.
1. To make a stain upon; discolor; soil.
2. To color by the use of a dye or stain.
3. To bring a moral stain upon; blemish.
4. To impregnate, as a microscopic specimen, with a substance whose reaction colors some part without affecting others, thus rendering form or structure visible.
—v.i.
5. To take or impart a stain. [Aphetic var. of DISTAIN]
—stain′a·ble adjective
—stain′er noun
—stain′less adjective
—stain′less·ly adverb Synonyms (verb): blot, color, discolor, disgrace, dishonor, dye, soil, spot, sully, tarnish, tinge, tint. To color is to impart a color desired or undesired, temporary or permanent, or, in the intransitive use, to assume a color in any way. To dye is to impart a color intentionally and with a view to permanence, and especially so as to pervade the substance or fiber of that to which it is applied. To stain is primarily to discolor, to impart a color undesired and perhaps unintended, and which may or may not be permanent. Stain is, however, used of giving an intended and perhaps pleasing color to wood, glass, etc., by an application of coloring matter which enters the substance a little below the surface, in distinction from painting, in which coloring matter is spread upon the surface; dyeing is generally said of wool, yarn, cloth, or similar materials which are dipped into the coloring liquid. To tinge is to color slightly. It may be used of giving a slight flavor, or a slight admixture of one ingredient or quality with another that is more pronounced. See BLEMISH, DEFILE¹, POLLUTE. Compare FOUL.