taint

== English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /teɪnt/ Rhymes: -eɪnt === Etymology 1 === 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. ==== Noun ==== taint (plural taints) A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food. A tinge, trace or touch. A mark of disgrace, especially on one's character; blemish. (obsolete) Tincture; hue; colour. (obsolete) Infection; corruption; deprivation. (programming) A marker indicating that a variable is unsafe and should be subjected to additional security checks. 2006, Jim Chow, Stanford University. Computer Science Dept, Understanding data lifetime (page 33) Using Apache version 1.3.29 and Perl version 5.8.2, we tracked the following sequence of taints […] ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== taint (third-person singular simple present taints, present participle tainting, simple past and past participle tainted) (transitive) To contaminate or corrupt (something) with an external agent, either physically or morally. (transitive) To spoil (food) by contamination. (intransitive) To be infected or corrupted; to be touched by something corrupting. (intransitive) To be affected with incipient putrefaction. (transitive, computing, programming) To mark (a variable) as unsafe, so that operations involving it are subject to additional security checks. (transitive, Australia, finance) To invalidate (a share capital account) by transferring profits into it. ===== Synonyms ===== (to contaminate): leper (rare) ===== Related terms ===== tainture ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English taynt, aphetic form of attaynt, atteynt, from Old French atteinte (“a blow, stroke”). Compare with attaint. ==== Noun ==== taint (plural taints) A thrust with a lance, which fails of its intended effect. An injury done to a lance in an encounter, without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a dishonorable or unscientific manner. ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== taint (third-person singular simple present taints, present participle tainting, simple past and past participle tainted) (transitive) To damage, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner. (intransitive) To thrust ineffectually with a lance. === Etymology 3 === 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.’ ==== Noun ==== taint (plural taints) (US, vulgar, slang) The perineum. ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 4 === Contraction of it +‎ ain't. ==== Contraction ==== taint Alternative spelling of 'taint. === References === William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “taint”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “taint”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === Nitta, Tanit, Titan, nitta, tinta, titan