taint

See also:'taintandTaïnt

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/teɪnt/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Audio(General Australian):

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• Rhymes:-eɪnt

Etymology 1

FromMiddle Frenchteint,fromOld Frenchteint(past participle ofteindre(“to dye, to tinge”)), fromLatintinctum(past participle oftingere); comparetint.

Noun

taint(pluraltaints)

1. Acontamination,decayorputrefaction,especially infood.
2. Atinge,traceortouch.
   • 1899February,Joseph Conrad,“The Heart of Darkness”,inBlackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine,volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company,[…],→OCLC,part I,page216:

     There is ataintof death, a flavour of mortality in lies, - which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world - what I want to forget.

3. A mark ofdisgrace,especially on one'scharacter;blemish.
4. (obsolete)Tincture;hue;colour.
5. (obsolete)Infection;corruption;deprivation.
   • 1855December –1857June, Charles Dickens,Little Dorrit,London:Bradbury and Evans,[…],published1857,→OCLC:

     A prisontaintwas on everything there. The imprisoned air, the imprisoned light, the imprisoned damps, the imprisoned men, were all deteriorated by confinement.

   • 1856December,[Thomas Babington] Macaulay,“Samuel Johnson”,inT[homas] F[lower] E[llis],editor,The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay,new edition, London:Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer,published1871,→OCLC:

     He had inherited from his ancestors a scrofuloustaint,which it was beyond the power of medicine to remove.

6. (programming)Amarkerindicating that avariableisunsafeand should be subjected to additionalsecuritychecks.
   • 2006,Jim Chow, Stanford University. Computer Science Dept,Understanding data lifetime(page 33)

     Using Apache version 1.3.29 and Perl version 5.8.2, we tracked the following sequence oftaints[…]

Derived terms

• boar taint
• cork taint

Translations

contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food

• Bulgarian:замърсяване(bg)n(zamǎrsjavane),разваляне(bg)n(razvaljane)
• Finnish:pilaantuma,pilaantunutkohta
• French:contamination(fr)f,moisissure(fr)f,souillure(fr)f
• Slovak:nečistota
• Spanish:corrupción(es)f,impureza(es)f
• Swedish:förorena(sv)

mark of disgrace, especially on one's character

• Bulgarian:позор(bg)m(pozor),петно(bg)n(petno)
• Finnish:häpeätahra,tahra(fi)
• French:tache(fr)f,souillure(fr)f
• Slovak:špina

Verb

taint(third-person singular simple presenttaints,present participletainting,simple past and past participletainted)

1. (transitive)Tocontaminateorcorrupt(something) with an externalagent,eitherphysicallyormorally.
   • c.1603–1604(date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act IV, scene ii]:

     His unkindness may defeat my life, / But nevertaintmy love.

2. (transitive)Tospoil(food) bycontamination.
3. (intransitive)To be infected or corrupted; to be touched by something corrupting.
   • c.1606(date written),William Shakespeare,“The Tragedie of Macbeth”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act V, scene iii]:

     I cannottaintwith fear.

4. (intransitive)To be affected withincipientputrefaction.

   Meat soontaintsin warm weather.

5. (transitive,computing,programming)Tomark(avariable) asunsafe,so thatoperationsinvolving it are subject to additionalsecuritychecks.
6. (transitive,Australia,finance)Toinvalidate(a share capital account) by transferringprofitsinto it.

Synonyms

• (to contaminate):leper(rare)

Related terms

• tainture

Translations

To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally

• Bulgarian:опетнявам(bg)(opetnjavam)
• Finnish:pilata(fi),saastuttaa(fi),turmella(fi)
• German:verderben(de)
• Ido:infektar(io)
• Irish:truailligh
• Italian:contaminare(it),infettare(it),macchiare(it)
• Ottoman Turkish:بوزمق(bozmak)
• Portuguese:contaminar(pt),corromper(pt),infectar(pt),macular(pt)
• Romanian:spurca(ro),mânji(ro)
• Slovak:zašpiniť,pošpiniť,skaziť,kaziť
• Spanish:contaminar(es),corromper(es)
• Swedish:besudla(sv),förorena(sv)

To spoil food by contamination

• Bulgarian:замърсявам(bg)(zamǎrsjavam),развалям(bg)(razvaljam)
• Finnish:pilata(fi)
• German:verderben(de)
• Italian:guastare(it)
• Ottoman Turkish:بوزمق(bozmak)

Etymology 2

FromMiddle Englishtaynt,apheticform ofattaynt,atteynt,fromOld Frenchatteinte(“a blow, stroke”).Compare withattaint.

Noun

taint(pluraltaints)

1. Athrustwith alance,which fails of its intendedeffect.
   • 1857,Homerus, translated by George Chapman,The Iliads: Never Before in Any Language Truly Translated,page74:

     Thistainthe follow'd with his sword, drawn from a silver sheath, Which lifting high, he struck his helm full where his plume did stand, On which it piecemeal brake, and fell from his unhappy hand.

2. Aninjurydone to alancein an encounter, without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in adishonorableor unscientific manner.

Translations

A thrust with a lance, which fails of its intended effect

An injury done to a lance in an encounter, without its being broken

Verb

taint(third-person singular simple presenttaints,present participletainting,simple past and past participletainted)

1. (transitive)To damage, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner.
   • 1624November 3 (first performance),Philip Massinger,“The Parliament of Love”,inW[illiam] Gifford,editor,The Plays of Philip Massinger,[…],volume II, London:[…]G[eorge]and W[illiam]Nicol;[…]byW[illiam]Bulmer and Co.[…],published1805,→OCLC,Act IV, scene iii,page293:

     Do not fear; I have / A staff totaint,and bravely.

2. (intransitive)To thrust ineffectually with a lance.

Etymology 3

Reportedly from the phrase “'tain'tyour balls and 'tain't your ass”. Ascribed to E.E. Landy's Underground Dict. (1972) is the following explanation: ‘'taint their ass and 'taint their pussy.’

Noun

taint(pluraltaints)

1. (US,vulgar,slang)Theperineum.
   • 2000June 17, Marc Newman, “Re: Americas are overated”, intalk.politics.guns‎^[1](Usenet):

     Sorry you feel that way. But since your mother sucks cocks in hell if I go there I won't be rotting.....I'll be on line right behind you hoping to get another good head job from your Mom or Sister....if you can remember which is which.......(Moms the one with the beard on hertaint)

   • 2005July 14, Noodles Jefferson, “Re: My Wife's Raw Comments”, inrec.sport.pro-wrestling‎^[2](Usenet):

     Even hertaint's raw?

   • 2010February 22, Duchamanos, “Re: Huck Finn 2010-anyone going?”, inrec.sport.disc‎^[3](Usenet):

     Did you know that guy has absolutely no tan lines? He'll show histaintto prove it!

   • 2017,John Oliver,Last Week Tonight,HBO:

     Thats right, Alex Jones is trying to sell you sloppy wet rags for yourtait[sic]. And-- and when you are done wiping down the area between your genitals and anus with a glorified wet nap...
     And look-- look, this tacticaltaintwipe has demonstrated incredible results, hasn't it, Doctor?

Translations

slang: the perineum

• Finnish:väliliha(fi)
• Georgian:ნაწყლი(nac̣q̇li)
• Norwegian:skrukkm
• Spanish:nies,frontón(es),sartén(es)
• Swedish:mellangård(sv)c

Etymology 4

Contraction ofitain't.

Contraction

taint

1. Alternative spelling of'taint

References

• “taint”,inThe Century Dictionary[…],New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,1911,→OCLC.
• “taint”,inOneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Nitta,Tanit,Titan,nitta,tinta,titan