Taint

Definition of Taint

n.	1.	A thrust with a lance, which fails of its intended effect. This taint he followed with his sword drawn from a silver sheath. - Chapman.
	2.	An injury done to a lance in an encounter, without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a dishonorable or unscientific manner.
v. i.	1.	To thrust ineffectually with a lance. [imp. & p. p. Tainted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Tainting.]
v. t.	1.	To injure, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner. Do not fear; I have A staff to taint, and bravely. - Massinger.
	2.	To hit or touch lightly, in tilting. They tainted each other on the helms and passed by. - Ld. Berners.
	1.	To imbue or impregnate with something extraneous, especially with something odious, noxious, or poisonous; hence, to corrupt; to infect; to poison; as, putrid substance taint the air.
	2.	Fig.: To stain; to sully; to tarnish. His unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love. - Shak.
v. i.	1.	To be infected or corrupted; to be touched with something corrupting. I can not taint with fear. - Shak.
	2.	To be affected with incipient putrefaction; as, meat soon taints in warm weather.
n.	1.	Tincture; hue; color; tinge.
	2.	Infection; corruption; deprivation. He had inherited from his parents a scrofulous taint, which it was beyond the power of medicine to remove. - Macaulay.
	3.	A blemish on reputation; stain; spot; disgrace.
v. t.	1.	Aphetic form of Attaint.

Related Words

abuse, adulterate, aerial infection, afflict, aggrieve, airborne infection, alloy, aroma, aspersion, attaint, attribute, badge, badge of infamy, bar sinister, baton, bedaub, befoul, benasty, bend sinister, besmear, besmirch, besmoke, bespatter, bestain, bewitch, black eye, black mark, blacken, blemish, blight, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blow upon, blur, brand, broad arrow, bug, cachet, canker, carrier, cast, catch, censure, champain, character, characteristic, cheapen, cloud, coarsen, communicability, condemn, configuration, confound, contagion, contagiousness, contaminate, contamination, corrupt, crack, crucify, cryptogenic infection, curse, cut, dab, damage, darken, dash, daub, debase, debauch, defame, defect, defection, deficiency, defile, deflower, degenerate, degrade, denature, deprave, desecrate, despoil, destroy, devalue, differentia, differential, direct infection, dirty, disadvantage, disapprove, discolor, discredit, disease, dishonor, disparage, disparagement, disserve, distinctive feature, distort, distress, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, doom, drawback, droplet infection, dust infection, earmark, envenom, epidemiology, expose, expose to infamy, eyesore, failing, failure, fault, faute, feature, figure, flavor, flaw, fleck, flick, flyspeck, foible, foul, frailty, get into trouble, gibbet, gust, hallmark, hand infection, hang in effigy, harass, harm, hex, hint, hole, hurt, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, impair, imperfection, impress, impression, imputation, inadequacy, index, indirect infection, individualism, infect, infection, infectiousness, infirmity, infusion, injure, inkling, intimation, jinx, keynote, kink, lineaments, little problem, macula, maculation, macule, maltreat, mannerism, mark of Cain, marking, menace, mess, mess up, mistreat, misuse, mold, molest, muddy, nasty, nature, odor, onus, outrage, particularity, patch, peculiarity, persecute, pervert, phytogenic infection, pillory, pillorying, play havoc with, play hob with, point champain, poison, pollute, prejudice, primary infection, problem, property, prostitute, pyogenic infection, quality, quirk, ravage, ravish, reflection, reprimand, reproach, rift, ruin, sauce, savage, savor, scar, scathe, scorch, seal, sear, seasoning, secondary infection, shade, shape, shortcoming, singe, singularity, slubber, slur, smack, smear, smirch, smoke, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, snag, something missing, soupcon, spatter, specialty, speck, speckle, spice, splash, splatter, splotch, spoil, sprinkling, stamp, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, stigmatize, subclinical infection, suggestion, sully, suspicion, tang, tar, taste, tempering, thought, threaten, tinct, tincture, tinge, tint, token, torment, torture, touch, trace, trait, trick, twist, ulcerate, vector, vestige, vilify, violate, virus, vitiate, vulgarize, vulnerable place, warp, waterborne infection, weak link, weak point, weakness, wound, wreak havoc on, wrong, zoogenic infection

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Tailage
Tailblock
Tailboard
Tailed
Tailing
Taille
Tailless
Taillie
Tailor
Tailor bird
tailor herring
Tailor-made
Tailoress
Tailoring
Tailpiece
Tailpin
Tailrace
Tailstock
Tailzie
Tain
-Taint-
Taintless
Taintlessly
Tainture
Taintworm
Taiping
Taira
Tairn
Tait
Taj Mahal
Tajacu
Take
take a piss
Take off
take the heat
Take-in
Take-up
Taken
Takeoff
takeover
Taker

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