See Also: taint(medicine)
taint(1)(dictionary)
taint(2)(dictionary)
taint 1, verb(dictionary)
taint 2, noun(dictionary)

taint(1) (iou)



taint noun. LME.
[Partly aphet. from ATTAINT noun, partly Old French teint, taint from Latin tinctus and Old French teinte from late Latin tincta uses as noun of pa. pple of tingere TINGE verb.]
I.
= ATTAINT noun 2. LME-E17.
= ATTAINT noun 3. E16-M19.
A conviction; spec. = ATTAINT noun 4. M16-E18.
II.
a. A stain, a blemish; a spot or trace of some bad or undesirable quality. LME.
Shakespeare Twelfth Night I hate ingratitude more in a man Than..any taint of vice. N. Podhoretz Free of the taint of commercialism.
b. spec. A flaw or blemish in a hawk's plumage as a result of bad feeding. Only in L15.
c. An unpleasant scent or smell. E20.
H. Williamson The taint most dreaded by the otters..the scent of Deadlock, the..hound.
A worm, maggot, or other small invertebrate supposed to infect or poison livestock. Also taint-worm. arch. L16.
A contaminating or corrupting influence; a cause or condition of corruption or decay; an infection. E17.
H. Martineau Health..was affected by the taint the marsh gave to the atmosphere.
b. A trace of latent disease. E17.
III.
Colour, hue, tint; tinge; dye. M-L16.
taintless adjective (chiefly poet.) free from taint; without stain or blemish; immaculate, innocent: L16.
taintlessly adverb M19.
taintlessness noun E19.