mac·u·late (măk'yə-lāt')
tr.v., -lat·ed, -lat·ing, -lates.
To spot, blemish, or pollute.

adj. (-lĭt)

1. Spotted or blotched.
2. Stained; impure.

[Middle English maculaten, from Latin maculāre, maculāt-, from macula, spot.]

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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.

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