Library / English Dictionary

STAIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An act that brings discredit to the person who does it

Example:

he made a huge blot on his copybook

Synonyms:

blot; smear; smirch; spot; stain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("stain" is a kind of...):

error; fault; mistake (a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention)

Derivation:

stain (make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A soiled or discolored appearance

Example:

the wine left a dark stain

Synonyms:

discoloration; discolouration; stain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("stain" is a kind of...):

appearance; visual aspect (outward or visible aspect of a person or thing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stain"):

scorch (a discoloration caused by heat)

bloodstain (a discoloration caused by blood)

iron mold; iron mould (a spot caused the staining with rust or ink)

mud stain (a stain produced by mud)

oil stain (a stain produced by oil)

tarnish (discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation)

Derivation:

stain (produce or leave stains)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A symbol of disgrace or infamy

Example:

And the Lord set a mark upon Cain

Synonyms:

brand; mark; stain; stigma

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("stain" is a kind of...):

symbol (an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stain"):

demerit (a mark against a person for misconduct or failure; usually given in school or armed forces)

bar sinister; bend sinister (a mark of bastardy; lines from top right to bottom left)

cloven foot; cloven hoof (the mark of Satan)

Derivation:

stain (make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The state of being covered with unclean things

Synonyms:

dirt; filth; grease; grime; grunge; soil; stain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("stain" is a kind of...):

dirtiness; uncleanness (the state of being unsanitary)

Derivation:

stain (produce or leave stains)

Sense 5

Meaning:

(microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("stain" is a kind of...):

color; coloring material; colour; colouring material (any material used for its color)

Domain category:

microscopy (research with the use of microscopes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stain"):

counterstain (a stain of contrasting color that is used when the principal stain does not show the structure clearly)

methylene blue; methylthionine chloride (a dark green dye used as a stain, an antiseptic, a chemical indicator, and an antidote in cyanide poisoning)

crystal violet; gentian violet (a green crystal (violet in water) used as a dye or stain or bactericide or fungicide or anthelmintic or burn treatment)

Derivation:

stain (color for microscopic study)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Color for microscopic study

Example:

The laboratory worker dyed the specimen

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "stain" is one way to...):

dye (color with dye)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

stain ((microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible)

staining ((histology) the use of a dye to color specimens for microscopic study)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Color with a liquid dye or tint

Example:

people knew how to stain glass a beautiful blue in the middle ages

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "stain" is one way to...):

dye (color with dye)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stain"):

ebonise; ebonize (stain black to make it look like ebony)

dip (stain an object by immersing it in a liquid)

tattoo (stain (skin) with indelible color)

marble (paint or stain like marble)

vein (make a veinlike pattern)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

stainer (a worker who stains (wood or fabric))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Produce or leave stains

Example:

Red wine stains the table cloth

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "stain" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

blob; blot; fleck; spot (make a spot or mark onto)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stain"):

smut (stain with a dirty substance, such as soot)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

stain (a soiled or discolored appearance)

stain (the state of being covered with unclean things)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically

Example:

Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man

Synonyms:

defile; maculate; stain; sully; tarnish

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stain" is one way to...):

blob; blot; fleck; spot (make a spot or mark onto)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stain"):

darken (tarnish or stain)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

stain (an act that brings discredit to the person who does it)

stain (a symbol of disgrace or infamy)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The findings from a microscopic study of characteristic tissue abnormalities by employing various cytochemical and immunocytochemical stains.

(Performed Histopathology, NCI Thesaurus)

"He got me all right," he announced, pointing to the torn trousers and undercloths, and the growing stain of red.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

When the post-boy and I had carried up the sea-chest and the two canvas bags, there he was sitting in his armchair by the window in his old weather-stained blue coat.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

An immunohistochemical technique that uses an anti-beta-catenin monoclonal antibody and subsequent staining by an avidin-biotin complex to immunostain beta-catenin.

(Beta Catenin Staining Method, NCI Thesaurus)

Love tormented him and overrode his will, so that, despite all determination, he found himself at the little ink-stained table.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

A malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm composed of cells containing secretory granules that stain positive for NSE and chromogranin.

(Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

“I presume, as I see blood-stains upon it, that it is the one which was found in the dead man’s grasp. Watson, this knife is surely in your line?”

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

An immunophenotypic test result indicating positive staining of neoplastic cells for neuron-specific enolase.

(Neuron-Specific Enolase Positive Neoplastic Cells Present, NCI Thesaurus)

Any spherical shaped bacteria with an oxygen based metabolism and a cell wall that contains low levels of peptidoglycan and stains pink with the Gram staining technique.

(Aerobic Gram Negative Coccus, NCI Thesaurus)

Any spherical shaped bacteria that does not require oxygen to grow or respirate and has a cell wall that contains low levels of peptidoglycan and stains pink with the Gram staining technique.

(Anaerobic Gram Negative Coccus, NCI Thesaurus)