First published 1910; not yet revised More entries for "taint"
taintnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun taint mean?
There are 11 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun taint, six of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
taint has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun taint?
About 0.5occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 1.2 |
| 1760 | 1.2 |
| 1770 | 1.2 |
| 1780 | 1.3 |
| 1790 | 1.3 |
| 1800 | 1.1 |
| 1810 | 1.1 |
| 1820 | 1.1 |
| 1830 | 1.1 |
| 1840 | 1.2 |
| 1850 | 1.3 |
| 1860 | 1.4 |
| 1870 | 1.4 |
| 1880 | 1.4 |
| 1890 | 1.3 |
| 1900 | 1.2 |
| 1910 | 1.1 |
| 1920 | 0.96 |
| 1930 | 0.85 |
| 1940 | 0.75 |
| 1950 | 0.66 |
| 1960 | 0.58 |
| 1970 | 0.53 |
| 1980 | 0.51 |
| 1990 | 0.49 |
| 2000 | 0.48 |
| 2010 | 0.5 |
How is the noun taint pronounced?
British English
/teɪnt/
U.S. English
/teɪnt/
Where does the noun taint come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun taint is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for taint is from around 1400, in Melayne.
Nearby entries
- tailye | tailzie, v.c1480–
- tailyed, adj.c1485–
- tailyevey, v.1513
- tailzied, adj.1747–
- tain, n.1858–
- tain, v.1501–36
- tainder, n.1469
- taining, n.1533–58
- -tainment, comb. form
- Taino, n. & adj.1836–
- taint, n.c1400–
- taint, n.²1955–
- taint, adj.c1330–1743
- taint, v.c1400–
- taintable, adj.1864–
- tainted, adj.1577–
- tainted goods, n.1914–
- taintless, adj.1590–
- taintlessly, adv.1846–
- taintlessness, n.1811–
- taintment, n.1614–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for taint, n.
taint, n. was first published in 1910; not yet revised.
taint, n. was last modified in September 2023.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into taint, n. in September 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1910)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for taint, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- tailye | tailzie, v.c1480–
- tailyed, adj.c1485–
- tailyevey, v.1513
- tailzied, adj.1747–
- tain, n.1858–
- tain, v.1501–36
- tainder, n.1469
- taining, n.1533–58
- -tainment, comb. form
- Taino, n. & adj.1836–
- taint, n.c1400–
- taint, n.²1955–
- taint, adj.c1330–1743
- taint, v.c1400–
- taintable, adj.1864–
- tainted, adj.1577–
- tainted goods, n.1914–
- taintless, adj.1590–
- taintlessly, adv.1846–
- taintlessness, n.1811–
- taintment, n.1614–
