I. stain 1 /steɪn/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: Partly from Old French desteindre 'to discolor' , from teindre 'to give something a different color' , from Latin tingere ( ⇨ ↑ tinge 2 ); partly from Old Norse steina 'to paint' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to accidentally make a mark on something, especially one that cannot be removed, or to be marked in this way:
Be careful you don’t stain the carpet.
This tablecloth stains very easily.
Her fingers were stained yellow from years of smoking.
stain with
a cowboy hat stained with dust and sweat
2 . [transitive] to change the colour of something, especially something made of wood, by using a special liquid ⇨ dye :
We’ve decided to stain the shelves blue.
3 . stain sb’s name/honour/reputation etc literary to damage the good opinion that people have about someone
II. stain 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . [countable] a mark that is difficult to remove, especially one made by a liquid such as blood, coffee, or ink
stain on
There was a dark red stain on the carpet.
remove/get rid of a stain
White vinegar is great for removing stains.
wine/coffee/blood etc stain
How do you get wine stains out of a tablecloth?
stubborn stains (=ones that are very difficult to remove)
2 . [uncountable and countable] a special liquid that you use to change the colour of something, especially wood ⇨ dye
3 . stain on sb’s character/name/reputation etc something that damages the good opinion that people have about someone
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + stain
▪ a wine/coffee/blood etc stain
How can I get coffee stains out of a cotton tablecloth?
▪ a red/brown/dark etc stain
There was a brown stain on the bedroom ceiling.
▪ a stubborn stain (=one that is hard to remove)
Lighter fuel can be used to remove more stubborn stains.
■ verbs
▪ remove a stain ( also shift a stain informal )
He was trying to remove a stain from his jacket.
|
Fruit juice stains can be hard to shift.
▪ get a stain out ( also get rid of a stain ) (=remove it)
You’ll never get that stain out.
▪ get a stain on something
She didn’t want to get a stain on her new dress.
▪ something leaves a stain
She wiped the soup off her blouse, but it left a stain.
▪ a stain spreads
A dark stain spread over the grey carpet.
■ stain + NOUN
▪ stain remover (=a special liquid for removing stains)
▪ stain removal
Here are a few quick tips for stain removal.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ a dirty mark
▪ mark a dirty area on something that spoils its appearance:
The bark of the tree had made black marks on her trousers.
▪ spot a small mark on something:
a grease spot on my shirt
▪ stain a mark that is difficult to remove, especially one made by a dark liquid:
a wine stain on the tablecloth
|
blood stains
▪ smudge a mark that is made when something touches against a surface:
There was a smudge of lipstick on his cheek.
|
He had a smudge of chalk on his jacket.
▪ smear a mark that is made by a small amount of something spread across a surface:
The table had a smear of paint on the top.
▪ fingerprint ( also fingermark British English ) a mark on the surface of something that is made by someone’s fingers:
The glass was covered with greasy fingerprints.