smirch

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

smirch, v. t. [From the root of smear.].

 To smear with something which stains, or makes dirty; to smutch; to begrime; to soil; to sully.  [1913 Webster]
"I'll . . . with a kind of umber smirch my face."  [1913 Webster]

smirch, n. 

 A smutch; a dirty stain.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

smirch, v. & n.
--v.tr. mark, soil, or smear (a thing, a person's reputation, etc.).
--n.
1 a spot or stain.
2 a blot (on one's character etc.).

Etymology

ME: orig. unkn.

THESAURUS

smirch

aspersion, attaint, badge of infamy, bar sinister, baton, bedarken, bedaub, begrime, bend sinister, besmear, besmirch, besmoke, besmutch, besoil, bespatter, bestain, black, black eye, black mark, blacken, blackening, blackwash, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blur, brand, broad arrow, call names, censure, champain, charcoal, cork, dab, darken, darkening, daub, defile, denigrate, denigration, dinge, dirty, discolor, disparagement, ebonize, engage in personalities, eyesore, fleck, flick, flyspeck, foul, grime, heap dirt upon, imputation, ink, macula, maculation, macule, mark, mark of Cain, melanization, melanize, muckrake, murk, nigrification, nigrify, onus, oversmoke, patch, pillorying, point champain, reflection, reprimand, reproach, revile, scorch, sear, shade, shading, shadow, singe, slubber, slur, smear, smirching, smoke, smooch, smouch, smudge, smudging, smut, smutch, smutching, soil, soilage, soilure, soot, spatter, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, stigmatize, sully, taint, tarnish, throw mud at, vilify

ROGET THESAURUS

smirch

Uncleanness

VB be unclean, become unclean, rot, putrefy, ferment, fester, rankle, reek, stink, mold, molder, go bad, render unclean, dirt, dirty, daub, blot, blur, smudge, smutch, soil, smoke, tarnish, slaver, spot, smear, smirch, begrease, dabble, drabble, draggle, daggle, spatter, slubber, besmear, bemire, beslime, begrime, befoul, splash, stain, distain, maculate, sully, pollute, defile, debase, contaminate, taint, leaven, corrupt, cover with dust, drabble in the mud, roil, wallow in the mire, slobber, slabber.

Blackness

VB be black, render black, blacken, infuscate, denigrate, blot, blotch, smutch, smirch, darken, black, sable, swarthy, somber, dark, inky, ebony, ebon, atramentous, jetty, coal-black, jet-black, fuliginous, pitchy, sooty, swart, dusky, dingy, murky, Ethiopic, low-toned, low in tone, of the deepest dye, black as jet, black as my hat, black as a shoe, black as a tinker's pot, black as November, black as thunder, black as midnight, nocturnal, nigrescent, gray, obscure.