distain

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   archaic or literary: to stain, discolor, or tarnish something

   Years of soot had distained the once-bright stone around the doorway.

From Old French desteindre, 'to remove color or discolor,' ultimately combining a reversing or intensive prefix with the ancestor of English tinge. The word is now rare and chiefly literary.

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External links

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