taint

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• /teɪnt/
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• rhymes with -eɪnt
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• CMU ARPABET: T EY1 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Contraction of it + ain't.

From Middle French teint, from Old French teint (past participle of teindre (“to dye, to tinge”)), from Latin tinctum (past participle of tingere); compare tint.

From Middle English taynt, aphetic form of attaynt, atteynt, from Old French atteinte (“a blow, stroke”). Compare with attaint.

Reportedly from the phrase “'tain't your balls and 'tain't your ass”. Ascribed to E.E. Landy's Underground Dict. (1972) is the following explanation: ‘'taint their ass and 'taint their pussy.’

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: замърсяване (zamǎrsjavane) — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• Bulgarian: разваляне (razvaljane) — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• Finnish: pilaantuma — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• Finnish: pilaantunut kohta — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• French: contamination — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• French: moisissure — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• French: souillure — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• Slovak: nečistota — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• Swedish: förorena — contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
• Bulgarian: позор (pozor) — mark of disgrace, especially on one's character
• Bulgarian: петно (petno) — mark of disgrace, especially on one's character
• Finnish: häpeätahra — mark of disgrace, especially on one's character
• Finnish: tahra — mark of disgrace, especially on one's character
• French: tache — mark of disgrace, especially on one's character
• French: souillure — mark of disgrace, especially on one's character
• Slovak: špina — mark of disgrace, especially on one's character
• Finnish: väliliha — slang: the perineum
• Georgian: ნაწყლი (nac̣q̇li) — slang: the perineum
• Norwegian: skrukk — slang: the perineum
• Spanish: nies — slang: the perineum
• Spanish: frontón — slang: the perineum
• Spanish: sartén — slang: the perineum
• Spanish: nie — slang: the perineum
• Swedish: mellangård — slang: the perineum
• Bulgarian: опетнявам (opetnjavam) — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Finnish: pilata — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Finnish: saastuttaa — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Finnish: turmella — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• German: verderben — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Ido: infektar — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Irish: truailligh — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Italian: contaminare — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Italian: infettare — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Italian: macchiare — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Portuguese: contaminar — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Portuguese: corromper — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Portuguese: infectar — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Portuguese: macular — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Romanian: spurca — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Romanian: mânji — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Slovak: zašpiniť — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Slovak: pošpiniť — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Slovak: skaziť — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Slovak: kaziť — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Swedish: besudla — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Swedish: förorena — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak) — To contaminate or corrupt something with an external agent, either physically or morally
• Bulgarian: замърсявам (zamǎrsjavam) — To spoil food by contamination
• Bulgarian: развалям (razvaljam) — To spoil food by contamination
• Finnish: pilata — To spoil food by contamination
• German: verderben — To spoil food by contamination
• Italian: guastare — To spoil food by contamination
• Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak) — To spoil food by contamination