taint
/ˈtānt/
verb
to contaminate morally : corrupt
to affect with putrefaction : spoil
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
a contaminating mark or influence
the taint of scandal
noun
the area between the anus and the posterior part of the external genitalia : perineum