STAIN

[verb] - to leave a mark on (something) which is difficult to removeMind how you eat those blackcurrants - they'll stain your shirt. [T]Tomato sauce stains terribly - it's really difficult to get it out. [I]He had smoked for so many years that his teeth were permanently stained yellow. [T]While she was changing the wheel on her car, her coat had become stained with oil. [T](figurative) The country's history is stained with the blood of (= The country is guilty of killing) millions of innocent men and women. [T](figurative) Several important politicians have had their reputations stained (= public opinion of their character spoiled) by this scandal. [T]To stain something is also to change its colour using a chemical.Stain the cell tissues before putting them under the microscope so that they can be seen clearly.She stripped the floorboards in the living room and stained them dark brown.If a material stains, it absorbs substances easily causing it to become marked or coloured by a chemical.This carpet is ideal for the kitchen because it doesn't stain easily.Pine stains better than oak.Stained glass is glass which has been coloured and cut into various shapes to form pictures or patterns.Stained glass is most commonly used in the decoration of church windows.The Rose Window is the most famous stained-glass window in York Minster.See picture: Windows -stained [suffix]Two women with tear-stained faces told us how the fire had destroyed their village.A blood-stained blanket was found near the victim's body.