taint
verb /teɪnt/
/teɪnt/
[often passive] (formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they taint | /teɪnt/ /teɪnt/ |
| he / she / it taints | /teɪnts/ /teɪnts/ |
| past simple tainted | /ˈteɪntɪd/ /ˈteɪntɪd/ |
| past participle tainted | /ˈteɪntɪd/ /ˈteɪntɪd/ |
| -ing form tainting | /ˈteɪntɪŋ/ /ˈteɪntɪŋ/ |
- to damage or harm the quality of something or the opinion that people have of somebody/something
- be tainted with something The administration was tainted with scandal.
- be tainted by something The courts were irredeemably tainted by past association with the military.
Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb in the sense ‘convict, prove guilty’): partly from Old French teint ‘tinged’, based on Latin tingere ‘to dye, tinge’; partly a shortening of attaint.