1. The act of spotting or staining something
   "The accidental staining of the carpet required professional cleaning";
   - spotting, maculation
    
2. (histology) the use of a dye to colour specimens for microscopic study
   "The staining of the tissue sample revealed cellular structures not visible before"

1. Colour with a liquid dye or tint
   "Stain this table a beautiful walnut colour"; "people knew how to stain glass a beautiful blue in the middle ages"
    
2. Produce or leave stains
   "Red wine stains the table cloth"
    
3. Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air
   "The silver was stained by the long exposure to the air";
   - tarnish, maculate [literary], sully, defile, soil
    
4. Colour for microscopic study
   "The laboratory worker stained the specimen";
   - dye
    
5. (of someone's image or good reputation) damage, place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
   "the scandal staind his good reputation";
   - defile, sully, taint, cloud, tarnish, soil

Derived forms: stainings

Type of: alter, blob, blot, change, deflower, dirtying, dye, dyeing, fleck, impair, mar, modify, pollute, soiling, soilure [archaic], spoil, spot, vitiate

Encyclopedia: Staining, Lancashire