Meanings
nounstain (plural stains)
plural stains
- A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
- A blemish on one's character or reputation.
- A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it.
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.
1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 93 - A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible.
verbstain (third-person singular simple present stains, present participle staining, simple past and past participle stained)
present singular third person stains · participle present staining · participle past stained · past stained
- To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
of Honour void, Of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie, Our wonted Ornaments now soild and staind
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, →OCLCSynonyms: besmirch, blot, denigrate, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul
- To coat a surface with a stain
the stained glass used for church windows
1 more example
to stain wood with acids, coloured washes, paint rubbed in, etc.
- transitivebiologyTo treat (a microscopic specimen) with a dye, especially one that dyes specific features
- To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison.
She stains the ripest virgins of her age.
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 ii1 more example
that did all other beasts in beauty stain
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
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo discolor, as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance.
verbTo taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
More synonyms by meaning
nounanything regarded as making something unclean
Broader
nounan act that brings discredit to the person who does it
verbmake dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*steyh₂-“to stiffen”
- Proto-Germanic*stainaz“stone”
- Proto-Norseᛊᛏᚨᛁᚾᚨᛉ
- Old Norsesteina“to stain, colour, paint”
- North Germanic
- Middle Englishsteinen
- Englishstain
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 wamm (“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.
More words from Middle English, North Germanic, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans vlek, skandvlek
- vlekdiscoloured spot or area
- skandvlekblemish on one's character or reputation
- kleurstofsubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- toetskleurstofreagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible
- bevlekto taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- verkleurto discolour something
Ancient Greek κηλίς, σπίλος
- κηλίς (kēlís)discoloured spot or area
- σπίλος (spílos)discoloured spot or area
- σπιλόω (spilóō)to discolour something
Arabic بُقْعَة
- بُقْعَة (buqʕa)discoloured spot or area
Bulgarian петно́, петно́
- петно́ (petnó)discoloured spot or area
- петно́ (petnó)blemish on one's character or reputation
- боя́ (bojá)substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- багри́ло (bagrílo)substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- багри́ло (bagrílo)reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible
- петня́ (petnjá)to taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- опетня́вам (opetnjávam)to taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- опетня́ (opetnjá)to taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- бояди́свам (bojadísvam)to coat a surface with a stain
- бояди́сам (bojadísam)to coat a surface with a stain
- оцветя́вам (ocvetjávam)to treat a microscope specimen with a dye
- оцветя́ (ocvetjá)to treat a microscope specimen with a dye
- обезцветя́вам (obezcvetjávam)to discolour something
- обезцветя́ (obezcvetjá)to discolour something
Catalan taca
- tacadiscoloured spot or area
Chinese Mandarin 污跡 /污迹, 污漬 /污渍
- 污跡 /污迹 (wūjì)discoloured spot or area
- 污漬 /污渍 (wūzì)discoloured spot or area
Czech skvrna, mořidlo
- skvrnadiscoloured spot or area
- mořidlosubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
Danish plet
- pletdiscoloured spot or area
Dutch vlek, bevlekken
- vlekdiscoloured spot or area
- bevlekkento taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- bezoedelento taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- beitsento coat a surface with a stain
- verkleurento discolour something
Esperanto makulo
- makulodiscoloured spot or area
Finnish läiskä, tahra
- läiskädiscoloured spot or area
- tahradiscoloured spot or area
- jälkidiscoloured spot or area
- tahrablemish on one's character or reputation
- väriainesubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- väriainereagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible
- tahratato taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- loatato taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- värjätäto treat a microscope specimen with a dye
French tache, souillure
- tachediscoloured spot or area
- souillureblemish on one's character or reputation
- colorantsubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- entacherto taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- colorerto treat a microscope specimen with a dye
- tacherto discolour something
German Fleck, Schmutzspur
- Fleckdiscoloured spot or area
- Schmutzspurdiscoloured spot or area
- Fehlerdiscoloured spot or area
- Verfärbungdiscoloured spot or area
- Brandfleckdiscoloured spot or area
- Schandfleckblemish on one's character or reputation
- Makelblemish on one's character or reputation
- Stigmablemish on one's character or reputation
- Tintesubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- Beizesubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- Färbemittelsubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- Farbstoffsubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- befleckento taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- beschmutzento taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- in den Schmutz ziehento taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- (Charakter) entstellento taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- besudelnto taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- beizento coat a surface with a stain
- anfärbento treat a microscope specimen with a dye
- befleckento discolour something
- beschmierento discolour something
Greek κηλίδα, κηλίδα
- κηλίδα (kilída)discoloured spot or area
- κηλίδα (kilída)blemish on one's character or reputation
- βαφή (vafí)substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- χρώμα (chróma)substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- σπιλώνω (spilóno)to discolour something
Hindi दाग, दाग़
- दाग (dāg)discoloured spot or area
- दाग़ (dāġ)discoloured spot or area
Hungarian folt
- foltdiscoloured spot or area
Icelandic blettur
- bletturdiscoloured spot or area
Irish smál
- smáldiscoloured spot or area
Italian macchia, chiazza
- macchiadiscoloured spot or area
- chiazzadiscoloured spot or area
- pataccadiscoloured spot or area
- tintasubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- mordentesubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- macchiareto taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- intaccareto taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- mordenzareto coat a surface with a stain
- colorareto treat a microscope specimen with a dye
Japanese 染み
- 染み (shimi)discoloured spot or area
Korean 얼룩, 착색
- 얼룩 (eolluk)discoloured spot or area
- 착색 (chaksaek)substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
Latin macula, macula
- maculadiscoloured spot or area
- maculablemish on one's character or reputation
- polluoto discolour something
- maculoto discolour something
Lithuanian dėmė
- dėmėdiscoloured spot or area
Māori poapoa, tope
- poapoadiscoloured spot or area
- topediscoloured spot or area
- pūrikodiscoloured spot or area
- pūrikoto coat a surface with a stain
- pūrikoto discolour something
Norwegian sverte
- sverteto taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
Persian لکه
- لکه (lakke)discoloured spot or area
Polish plama, plama
- plamadiscoloured spot or area
- plamablemish on one's character or reputation
- skazablemish on one's character or reputation
- bejcasubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- barwnikreagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible
- kontrastreagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible
- bejcowaćto coat a surface with a stain
- zabejcowaćto coat a surface with a stain
- plamićto discolour something
- upaćkaćto discolour something
- upapraćto discolour something
- kalaćto discolour something
Portuguese nódoa, mancha
- nódoadiscoloured spot or area
- manchadiscoloured spot or area
- máculadiscoloured spot or area
- colorantesubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- tintasubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- corarto treat a microscope specimen with a dye
- colorarto treat a microscope specimen with a dye
- colorirto treat a microscope specimen with a dye
Romanian pată
- patădiscoloured spot or area
Russian пятно́, пятно́
- пятно́ (pjatnó)discoloured spot or area
- пятно́ (pjatnó)blemish on one's character or reputation
- пятно́ позора (pjatnó pozora)blemish on one's character or reputation
- кра́ска (kráska)substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- морилка (morilka)substance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- запятнать (zapjatnatʹ)to taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- кра́сить (krásitʹ)to coat a surface with a stain
- морить (moritʹ)to coat a surface with a stain
- па́чкать (páčkatʹ)to discolour something
- пятнать (pjatnatʹ)to discolour something
Slovak škvrna
- škvrnadiscoloured spot or area
Spanish mancha, lamparón
- manchadiscoloured spot or area
- lamparóndiscoloured spot or area
- rodaldiscoloured spot or area
- máculadiscoloured spot or area
- churretóndiscoloured spot or area
- chorretóndiscoloured spot or area
- chorreóndiscoloured spot or area
- tachablemish on one's character or reputation
- mancillablemish on one's character or reputation
- contrastereagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible
- mancharto taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
- mancharto discolour something
- percudirto discolour something
Swedish fläck, bets
- fläckdiscoloured spot or area
- betssubstance used to soak into a surface and colour it
- sätta fläckar påto discolour something
- sätta en fläck påto discolour something
- fläckato discolour something
Thai คราบ
- คราบ (krâap)discoloured spot or area
Turkish leke, lekeler
- lekediscoloured spot or area
- lekelerdiscoloured spot or area
Ukrainian пля́ма
- пля́ма (pljáma)discoloured spot or area
Urdu دھبا, داغ
- دھبا (dhabbā)discoloured spot or area
- داغ (dāġ)discoloured spot or area
Vietnamese tật, vết
- tậtdiscoloured spot or area
- vếtdiscoloured spot or area
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with stain
mainagaindomainSpainpaincampaignchainmaintaingaintrainobtainremaincontainrainmaineexplainlaneplainjaneplaneWayneUkrainegrainstrain
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
stain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stain
MLA
“stain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stain. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stain.
Source: stain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.