taint
noun
[ teɪnt ]
• a trace of a bad or undesirable substance or quality.
• "the lingering taint of creosote"
Similar:
trace,
touch,
suggestion,
hint,
tinge,
tincture,
smear,
stain,
blot,
blemish,
slur,
stigma,
tarnish,
scar,
black mark,
spot,
imperfection,
flaw,
fault,
defect,
blot on one's escutcheon,
discredit,
dishonour,
disgrace,
shame,
taint
verb
• contaminate or pollute (something).
• "the air was tainted by fumes from the cars"
Similar:
contaminate,
pollute,
adulterate,
infect,
blight,
befoul,
spoil,
soil,
ruin,
destroy,
Origin:
Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘convict, prove guilty’): partly from Old French teint ‘tinged’, based on Latin tingere ‘to dye, tinge’; partly a shortening of attaint.
taint
noun
• the perineum.
Origin:
1950s: from the contraction of it ain't in humorous phrases referring to the perineum’s position on the body, characterized as being neither the anus nor the genitals.
