tarnish

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: tar=nish

CIDE DICTIONARY

tarnish, v. t. [F. ternir, fr. OHG. tarnen to darken, to conceal, hide; akin to OS. dernian to hide, AS. dernan, dyrnan, OHG. tarni hidden, OS. derni, AS. derne, dyrne. Cf. Dern, a., and see -ish.].

 To soil, or change the appearance of, especially by an alternation induced by the air, or by dust, or the like; to diminish, dull, or destroy the luster of; to sully; as, to tarnish a metal; to tarnish gilding; to tarnish the purity of color.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To sully; stain; dim.

tarnish, v. i. 

 To lose luster; to become dull; as, gilding will tarnish in a foul air.  [1913 Webster]
"Till thy fresh glories, which now shine so bright,
Grow stale and tarnish with our daily sight."  [1913 Webster]

tarnish, n. 

•  The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.  [1913 Webster]
•  A thin film on the surface of a metal, usually due to a slight alteration of the original color; as, the steel tarnish in columbite.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tarnish, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. lessen or destroy the lustre of (metal etc.).
2 tr. impair (one's reputation etc.).
3 intr. (of metal etc.) lose lustre.
--n.
1 a a loss of lustre. b a film of colour formed on an exposed surface of a mineral or metal.
2 a blemish; a stain.

Derivative

tarnishable adj.

Etymology

F ternir f. terne dark

THESAURUS

tarnish

achromatize, asperse, aspersion, attaint, badge of infamy, bar sinister, baton, bedaub, befoul, begrime, benasty, bend sinister, besmear, besmirch, besmoke, besoil, bespatter, bestain, black eye, black mark, blacken, blanch, bleach, blemish, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blow upon, blur, brand, broad arrow, call names, calumniate, censure, champain, contaminate, corrupt, dab, damage, darken, daub, debase, decolor, decolorize, defame, defile, degrade, denigrate, dim, dirty, disapprove, discolor, disgrace, dishonor, disparage, disparagement, drain, drain of color, dull, embarrass, engage in personalities, etiolate, expose, expose to infamy, eyesore, fade, fleck, flick, flyspeck, foul, fume, gibbet, grime, hang in effigy, harm, heap dirt upon, hurt, impair, imputation, infect, injure, macula, maculation, macule, mar, mark, mark of Cain, mess, mess up, muckrake, muddy, nasty, onus, pale, patch, peroxide, pillory, pillorying, point champain, pollute, prejudice, reflection, reprimand, reproach, revile, ruin, scorch, sear, singe, slander, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smoke, smooch, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, spatter, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splotch, spoil, spot, stain, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, stigmatize, sully, taint, tar, throw mud at, tone down, vilify, vitiate, wash out, whiten

ROGET THESAURUS

tarnish

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.

Blemish

N blemish, disfigurement, deformity, adactylism, flaw, defect, injury, spots on the sun, eyesore, stain, blot, spot, spottiness, speck, speckle, blur, tarnish, smudge, dirt, freckle, mole, macula, patch, blotch, birthmark, blobber lip, blubber lip, blain, maculation, scar, wem, pustule, whelk, excrescence, pimple, pitted, freckled, discolored, imperfect, blobber-lipped, bloodshot, injured.

Disrepute

N disrepute, discredit, ill repute, bad repute, bad name, bad odor, bad favor, ill name, ill odor, ill favor, disapprobation, ingloriousness, derogation, abasement, debasement, abjectness, degradation, dedecoration, a long farewell to all my greatness, odium, obloquy, opprobrium, ignominy, dishonor, disgrace, shame, humiliation, scandal, baseness, vileness, turpitude, infamy, tarnish, taint, defilement, pollution, stain, blot, spot, blur, stigma, brand, reproach, imputation, slur, crying shame, burning shame, scandalum magnatum, badge of infamy, blot in one's escutcheon, bend sinister, bar sinister, champain, point champain, byword of reproach, Ichabod, argumentum ad verecundiam, sense of shame, disgraced, blown upon, shorn of its beams, shorn of one's glory, overcome, downtrodden, loaded with shame, in bad repute, out of repute, out of favor, out of fashion, out of countenance, at a discount, under a cloud, under an eclipse, unable to show one's face, in the shade, in the background, out at elbows, down at the elbows, down in the world, inglorious, nameless, renownless, obscure, unknown to fame, unnoticed, unnoted, unhonored, unglorified, shameful, disgraceful, discreditable, disreputable, despicable, questionable, unbecoming, unworthy, derogatory, degrading, humiliating, infra dignitatem, dedecorous, scandalous, infamous, too bad, unmentionable, ribald, opprobrious, errant, shocking, outrageous, notorious, ignominious, scrubby, dirty, abject, vile, beggarly, pitiful, low, mean, shabby base, to one's shame be it spoken, Int, fie!, shame!, for shame!, proh pudor!, O tempora!, O mores!, ough!, sic transit gloria mundi!.

VB be inglorious, incur disgrace, have a bad name, earn a bad name, put a halter round one's neck, wear a halter round one's neck, disgrace oneself, expose oneself, play second fiddle, lose caste, pale one's ineffectual fire, recede into the shade, fall from one's high estate, keep in the background, be conscious of disgrace, look blue, look foolish, look like a fool, cut a poor figure, cut a sorry figure, laugh on the wrong side of the mouth, make a sorry face, go away with a flea in, one's ear, slink away, cause shame, shame, disgrace, put to shame, dishonor, throw dishonor upon, cast dishonor upon, fling dishonor upon, reflect dishonor upon, be a reproach, to, derogate from, tarnish, stain, blot sully, taint, discredit, degrade, debase, defile, beggar, expel, impute shame to, brand, post, stigmatize, vilify, defame, slur, cast a slur upon, hold up to shame, send to Coventry, tread under foot, trample under foot, show up, drag through the mire, heap dirt upon, reprehend, bring low, put down, snub, take down a peg, take down a peg lower, take down a peg or two, obscure, eclipse, outshine, take the shine out of, throw into the shade, cast into the shade, overshadow, leave in the background, put in the background, push into a corner, put one's nose out of joint, put out, put out of countenance, upset, throw off one's center, discompose, disconcert, put to the blush.

Achromatism

VB lose color, fade, fly, go, become colorless, turn pale, pale, deprive of color, decolorize, bleach, tarnish, achromatize, blanch, etiolate, wash out, tone down.