overstain

O1V4E1R1S1T1A1I1N1

verb

To stain the surface of; besmear.

Scrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verboverstain (third-person singular simple present overstains, present participle overstaining, simple past and past participle overstained)

present singular third person overstains · participle present overstaining · participle past overstained · past overstained

  1. transitiveTo stain the surface of; besmear.

    It is very difficult to overstain with safranin. Wash slides with several changes of water, until water is no longer pink.

    2004, Robert N. Trigiano, Dennis J. Gray, Plant Development and Biotechnology - Page 46

Origin

From over- + stain.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

overstain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overstain

MLA

“overstain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overstain. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overstain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overstain.

Source: overstain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.