Tarnish

Definition: Tarnish

Tarnish

Noun

1. Discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation.

Verb

1. Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air, of metals; also used metaphorically: "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "tarnish" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Note: Tarnish \Tar"nish\, transitive verb. [imperfect & past participle. Tarnished; Tarnishing.]. (references)

Metallurgy

Mining

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Tarnish

Blemish

Tarnish, smudge; dirt.

Disrepute

Tarnish, taint, defilement, pollution. stain, blot, spot, blur, stigma, brand, reproach, imputation, slur.

Tarnish, stain, blot sully, taint; discredit; degrade, debase, defile; beggar; expel; (punish).

Uncleanness

Render unclean; Adjective: 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; (injure); cover with dust; Noun: drabble in the mud; roil.

Crosswords: Tarnish

Their touch can't tarnish us, and at last, we will be (Lady Jane; writing credit: Chris Bryant; David Edgar)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Who Killed Hollywood?: ...and Put the Tarnish on Tinseltown (reference)

  (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Economic History

Zambia

A number of instances of government interference in the private sector, a weak court system, and inadequate law enforcement tarnish in practice Zambia's liberal investment framework. (references)

Human Rights

China

In what some experts have described as an attempt by authorities to tarnish the public image of the democracy movement, officials have accused a number of democracy activists of soliciting prostitutes, distributing pornographic videos, petty theft, or other crimes unrelated to their political activities. (references)

Political Economy

Ireland

Voters are also concerned over a perceived deterioration in the country's health services, and continued investigations into allegations of political corruption tarnish the government's image. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Albanian

nxirje (blackening, blackness, suntan), nxij (blacken, bronze, bruise, denigrate, make black, tan), humbje shkëlqimi. (various references)

Arabic 

‏فقدان البريق, ‏فقد بريقه, ‏لوث (bedaub, befoul, besmear, besmirch, blot, contaminate, daub, defile, degrade, dirty, discredit, file, foul, pollute, smear, smirch, soil, spot, stain, sully, taint), ‏لطخ (bedaub, besmear, blot, blotch, blur, daub, smear, smirch, smudge, smutch, soil, splash, splotch, spot, stain, streak, sully, taint), ‏وسخ (bedraggle, befoul, begrime, defiled, dirty, filthy, foul, grime, grimy, grubbiness, litter, mess up, offset, ordure, scum, slattern, smut, soil, soot, sordid, stain), ‏تلوث (become defiled, contamination, dirtiness, dirty, foul, impurity, infection, pollution, soil, stain, taint), ‏تلطخ (maculation, smudge, spot, sully), ‏تبدد (clear, death, dispersal, dispersion, dissipate, fly, go to waste, recede), ‏زوال البريق, ‏جرد من المال, ‏أزال التفضيض. (various references)

Bulgarian 

тъмен пласт върху метал, тъмен пласт върху минерал, губя лъскавината си, опетнявам (attaint, besmirch, darken, imbrue, maculate, mire, pollute, smirch, smudge, soil, spot, stain, sully), потъмнявам (blacken, darken, darkle, discolour, film over, grow dark, lower, overcloud), петня (blaspheme, blemish, cast reflection on, denigrate, disfigure, libel, pollute, slur, smear, smirch, soil, speck, spot, stain, stigmatize, sully), петно (attaint, blob, blot, blotch, dab, daub, defilement, flaw, fleck, mottle, note, offset, reflection, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, soil, spot, stain, stigma, sully, taint). (various references)

Chinese 

污衊 (slander, smear), 污名. (various references)

Czech

ztráta lesku, zbavit lesku (dim), zamžít, zakalit (grow dim), skvrna (blob, blot, blotch, blur, carbuncle, fleck, macula, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, soil, spatter, speck, splash, spot, stain, taint), poskvrnit (befoul, dapple, dishonor, dishonour, pollute, spot, stain, sully, taint), pošpinit (besmirch, blemish, defile, soil, spatter, stain, taint, thumb). (various references)

Dutch

mat worden (blinding), dof worden (blinding, clouding). (various references)

Farsi 

کدرکردن , لکه دارکردن (Blame, Blemish, Brand, Denigrate, Foul, Smear, Soil, Speck, Stain, Stigmatize, Sully, Taint), تیره کردن (Blur, Dark, Dim, Fog, Gloom, Mud, Obscure, Overcast, Shade). (various references)

Finnish

mustua (blacken, grow black), himmenntyä (become dark, become obscure, grow dim). (various references)

French

ternir. (various references)

German

trüben (blur, cloud, dampen, darken, dim, dull, embitter, Mar, obfuscate, overcast, ruffle, spoil), mattieren (dull, frost, give a mat finish to), anlaufen (accrue, begin, call at, come running up, initiate, mist up, mount up, open, put into, rise, start, start off, start running, steam up, take a run-up, take off, to initiate, touch at, warm up). (various references)

Greek 

αμαυρώνω (black, blacken, blemish, blot, darken, stain). (various references)

Hebrew 

לעמעם (blur, darken, dim, mute, obscure, overlook), ל�"כתים (smirch, stain, stigmatize, taint), ל�"כ�"ות (darken, make dark), עמום (abstruse, dim, faint, frosting, fuzzy, muzzy, obscure, obtuse, opaque, vague), כתם (mole, patch, slur, smear, smudge, splotch, spot, stain, stigma). (various references)

Hungarian

vakulás, patina (patina, verdigris), homályosság (ambiguity, blur, dullness, duskiness, haziness, murkiness, nebulosity, obscurity, opacity, turbidity), hártya (film, membrane, scale, skin), folt (blemish, blob, blot, blotch, blur, cloud, clout, crock, dab, flaw, freckle, gout, mottle, patch, smear, smirch, smudge, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splodge, splotch, spot, stain), elhomályosít (bedim, blur, dusk, outshine, overcast, to adumbrate, to blur, to chill, to eclipse, to efface, to obfuscate, to obscure, to overshadow, to overtop, to throw into the shade), bevonat (coat, coating, envelope, glaze, muffle), befuttat. (various references)

Indonesian

noda (blot, ignominy, macula, spot, stain, taint), menodai (besmirch, blemis, blot, disfigure, taint), bercak (pimply, pock, pockmarked, spotted). (various references)

Italian

ossidarsi (oxidize), ossidare (oxidize), opacizzare, offuscare (become obscured, cloud, darken, dim, get dark, grow dark, grow dim, obfuscate, obscure, overshadow, shade), macchiarsi (blot, dapple, get marked, get stained, soil oneself, spot, stain), macchiare (blot, blotch, dapple, dirty, Flavor, flavour, Mark, mottle, smear, smirch, smudge, soil, speckle, spot, stain, sully), colore di rinvenimento (tempering colour), colore di ossidazione (tempering colour), appannarsi (steam up), appannare (cloud, grow dim, mist over, mist up), annerirsi (darken), annerire (blacken, darken). (various references)

Manx

smull (huff, scowl, sulk), milley (blemish, blemish as work, blur, blur as vision, botch, corrupt, corruption, debauch; marring, deflower, despoil, despoliation; thousand, disfigure, disfigurement, impair, impairment, mar, muff, murder, ruin, spoil, spoiling). (various references)

Pig Latin

arnishtay.(various references)

Portuguese

v. (bleed, extrude, reclaim, skid, slip, soften, stain, stir), nódoa (blur, fleck, smear, smirch, soil, splodge, splotch, spot, stain, taint), mancha (blemish, blot, blotch, blur, brindle, cloud, dapple, defilement, flaw, fleck, guide-mark, marking, reproach, scar, smear, smirch, smudge, soil, splodge, splotch, spot, stain, taint), embacar, embaçar (mat), embaçamento (haze), deslustre, deslustrar (dim, sully), desdouro, cor de revenido (tempering colour). (various references)

Romanian

pierderea lustrului, patã (blemish, blot, blur, breath, dab, flaw, fleck, Mark, patch, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, spatter, spill, splash, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, taint, ulcer), pãta reputaţia cuiva, murdãri (bedraggle, begrime, besmear, besmirch, blot, contaminate, defile, foul, litter, mess, muck, muddy, pollute, puddle, slop, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, splash, splatter, spot, stain, sully), lua lustrul, face sã-şi piardã luciul, a-şi pierde luciul, întuneca (bedim, cloud, darken, dim, gloom, muddy, obfuscate, obscure, overcloud, overshadow, sadden), întina reputaţia cuiva. (various references)

Russian 

тускнеть тусклость, тусклость (dimness), порочить (badmouth, bad-mouth, besmirch, bespatter, calumniate, defame, denigrate, derogate). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

tamneti (become dark), oduzeti (deduct, deprive, detract, palsy, subduct, subtract, take away, take up), gubljenje boje, gubiti boju. (various references)

Spanish

manchar (bedaub, befoul, besmirch, blemish, blot, blotch, blur, dapple, daub, defile, dirty, foul, maculate, Mark, smear, smudge, soil, spot, stain, sully, taint), deslustrar (dull). (various references)

Swedish

göra matt. (various references)

Thai

ทำให้เสื่อมเสีย (smear), ความเสื่อมเสีย, ความไม่แวววาว. (various references)

Turkish

matlaştırmak (deaden, flatten), lekelemek (asperse, attaint, bastardize, bedaub, befoul, besmirch, blacken, blemish, blot, blotch, blur, brand, breathe upon, cloud, defile, dirty, discolor, discolour, dishonor, fleck, flecker, maculate, mottle, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, smutch, soil, spatter, speckle, splodge, splotch, spot, sprinkle, stain, stigmatize, sully, taint), leke (attaint, blemish, blob, blot, blotch, blur, cloud, discoloration, discolouration, fleck, Mackle, macula, maculation, mottle, shame, slur, smear, smirch, soil, splodge, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, taint), kirletmek (bedaub, befoul, begrime, bemire, besmear, besmirch, blot, contaminate, daub, defile, dirty, foul, foul up, grime, make dirty, mess, pollute, rape, slur, smear, smirch, smutch, soil, spatter, stain, sully, vitiate), kir (dirt, filth, grime, smear, smirch, soil, stain), karartı (fog, mist, shadow), kararmak (blacken, darken, dim, get dark, grow dark, lour), donukluk (blur, deadness, dimness, dinginess, dullness, halation, inanimation, opaqueness, veiling), donuklaşmak. (various references)

Ukrainian

робити тьмяним (dim), тьмяність (dimness), тьмяніти (darkle, dim, dull, glaze, glaze over, pale, wan), тьмяна пляма, ганьбити (abuse, animadvert, asperse, attaint, besmirch, blaspheme, defame, disgrace, inveigh, reproach, scandalize, shame, soil, spot, stain, tongue, vilify, vituperate, wrong), потьмарення (eclipse). (various references)

Vietnamese 

trạng thái mờ, vết bẩn (taint), điều xấu (illy, wrong). (various references)

Welsh

llychwino (besmirch, soil, spot, sully). (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "tarnish": tarnishable, tarnished, tarnishes, tarnishing. (additional references)

Words ending with "tarnish": antitarnish. (additional references)

Words containing "tarnish": untarnished. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Tarnish" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ardnish, arnish, tanish, tardis, tarnic, tarnis, Tarnus, tonish, townish, transh, tundish. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: airths, arshin, instar, santir, shairn, shanti, strain, trains.

-2 letters: airns, airth, airts, antis, astir, hairs, hants, harts, hints, naris, rains, ranis, rants, riant, saint, saith, sarin, satin, sharn, shirt, sitar, snath, stain, stair, stria, tahrs, tains, tarns, tarsi, thins, train, trans, trash.

-3 letters: ains, airn, airs, airt, aits, anis, anti, ants, arts, hair.

+1 letter: hairnets, inearths, inthrals, tranship, trashing.

+2 letters: anarchist, antherids, antishark, cantharis, chantries, farthings, firsthand, hamstring, herniates, historian, horntails, ingathers, inthralls, mishanter, nightjars, perianths, rhatanies, senhorita, snatchier, starching, tarnished, tarnishes, thrashing, tranships, transship, trichinas.

+3 letters: allethrins, anarchists, anchorites, anhydrites, anorthites, antechoirs, anthuriums, antiheroes, antiherpes, branchiest, breathings, cartoonish, chromatins, disenthral, dishearten, earthiness, earthlings, earthshine, eutherians, gatherings, hamstrings, handprints, handwrites, hantavirus, hardiments, harvesting, heartiness, hibernates, historians, housetrain, hydrations, inbreathes, inhabiters, inhalators, interphase, labyrinths, mishanters, monarchist, nightmares, paintbrush, parathions, printheads, raunchiest, ravishment, reinhabits, revanchist, scratching, senhoritas, shattering, slathering, straighten, stringhalt, tarnishing, thrashings, threadfins, transships, trashiness, triathlons, unactorish.