# stain

> English word · Noun · IPA /steɪn/ · frequency rank #11,298

## Definitions
1. A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
2. A blemish on one's character or reputation.
3. A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it.
4. A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible.
5. One of a number of non-standard tinctures used chiefly in post-medieval heraldry, especially tenné, murrey, or sanguine.

## Etymology
From Middle English steinen, steynen (“to stain, colour, paint”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse steina (“to stain, colour, paint”), from steinn (“stone, mineral blue, colour, stain”), from Proto-Norse ᛊᛏᚨᛁᚾᚨᛉ (stainaʀ), from Proto-Germanic *stainaz (“stone”), from Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- (“to stiffen”). Cognate with Old English stān (“stone”). More at stone.
Replaced native Middle English wem (“spot, blemish, stain”), from Old English wamm (“spot, stain”).
In some senses, influenced by unrelated Middle English disteynen (“to discolor, remove the colour from"; literally, "de-colour”), from Anglo-Norman desteindre (“to remove the colour from, bleach”), from Old French destaindre (“to remove the color from, bleach”), from des- (“dis-, de-, un-”) + teindre (“to dye”), from Latin tingo.

## Easily confused with
- **STI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-sti)
- **stay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stay)
- **star** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-star)
- **stan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stan)
- **stir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stir)
- **stat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stat)
- **swan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-swan)
- **stun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stun)
- **stig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stig)
- **state** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-state)
- **start** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-start)
- **stand** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stand)
- **stars** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stars)
- **strip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-strip)
- **stats** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stats)
- **stays** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stays)
- **stake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stake)
- **stamp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stamp)
- **stark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stark)
- **stare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stain-vs-stare)

## Common misspellings (6)
`sstain`, `stainn`, `stani`, `stian`, `sttain`, `tsain`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stain