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| taint [ taynt ] |
transitive verb (past and past participle taint·ed, present participle taint·ing, 3rd person present singular taints) |
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| Definition: |
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1. pollute something: to pollute or contaminate something with something undesirable or dangerous
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2. corrupt somebody morally: to corrupt somebody morally, or detract from somebody's reputation by associating him or her with something reprehensible
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3. flavor something: to unintentionally give a scent or flavor of one thing to another
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4. spoil something: to make something such as fruit or vegetables rotten
  The peaches are tainted.
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noun (plural taints) |
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| Definition: |
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1. imperfection detracting from quality: an imperfection that detracts from the quality of somebody or something
a taint on her reputation
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2. something that pollutes: something that detracts from the purity or cleanliness of something
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| [Late 16th century. Partly < Anglo-Norman teint "colored, dyed" < Latin tingere "moisten, dye," partly < Old French ataint "convicted," past participle of ateindre (see attain)] |
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| taint·less adjective |
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