taint

/ˈtānt/

Middle English teynten to color & taynten to attaint; Middle English teynten, from Anglo-French teinter, from teint, past participle of teindre, from Latin tingere; Middle English taynten, short for attaynten

verb

  1. to contaminate morally : corrupt

  2. to affect with putrefaction : spoil

  3. to touch or affect slightly with something bad

scholarship tainted by envy

contaminate taint pollute defile mean to make impure or unclean. contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source. taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

noun

  1. a contaminating mark or influence

the taint of scandal

noun

  1. the area between the anus and the posterior part of the external genitalia : perineum