Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To take away the color of; hence, to weaken the effect of by comparison; cause to pale; outvie.
  • To tinge with any color different from the natural or proper one; discolor; stain: as, a sword distained with blood.
  • To blot; sully; defile; tarnish.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To tinge with a different color from the natural or proper one; to stain; to discolor; to sully; to tarnish; to defile; -- used chiefly in poetry.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb rare To stain, discolour or tarnish

Etymologies

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  • A stain or tint, when not a typo for disdain.

    March 31, 2009