v., taint·ed, taint·ing, taints. v.tr.
- To affect with or as if with a disease.
- To affect with decay or putrefaction; spoil. See synonyms at contaminate.
- To corrupt morally.
- To affect with a tinge of something reprehensible.
To become affected with decay or putrefaction; spoil.
n.
- A moral defect considered as a stain or spot. See synonyms at stain.
- An infecting touch, influence, or tinge.
[Partly from obsolete taynt, to color, dye (from Anglo-Norman teint, from past participle of teindre , from Latin tingere), and partly from Middle English tainten, to convict (short for atteinten , from Old French ataint, past participle of ataindre, to attain, touch upon; see attain).]
taintless taint'less adj.taintlessly taint'less·ly adv.
taintlessness taint'less·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
