stain

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: strain, staid, swain, slain, stein, stair, skain, sain, stan, etain, spain

Antonyms: strain, staid, swain, slain, stein, stair, skain, sain, stan, etain, spain

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. A [[discolored]] [[spot]] or [[area]] caused by [[spillage]] or other contact with certain [[fluid]]s or [[substance]]s.
2. A [[blemish]] on one's [[character]] or [[reputation]].
3. A substance used to [[soak]] into a surface and colour it.
4. A [[reagent]] or [[dye]] used to stain [[microscope]] [[specimen]]s so as to make some structures [[visible]].
5. {{senseid|en|heraldry}} {{lb|en|heraldry}} One of a number of non-standard [[tincture#English:_heraldry|tincture]]s used chiefly in post-medieval [[heraldry]], especially [[tenné]], [[murrey]], or [[sanguine]].

Verb

1. {{lb|en|transitive}} To [[discolor]], as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance.
2. To [[taint]] or [[tarnish]] someone's character or reputation
3. To [[coat]] a surface with a stain
4. {{lb|en|intransitive}} To become [[stained]]; to [[take]] a stain.
5. {{lb|en|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.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.