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Taint vs Deface - What's the difference?

taint | deface |

As verbs the difference between taint and deface

is that taint is to contaminate or corrupt (something) with an external agent, either physically or morally while deface is to damage something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.

As a noun taint

is a contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food.

taint

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) tingere, tinctum via (etyl) teint (past participle of )

Noun

(en noun)
  • A (l), (l) or (l), especially in (l)
  • A mark of (l), especially on one's (l); blemish
  • (obsolete) tincture; hue; colour
  • (obsolete) infection; corruption; deprivation
  • He had inherited from his parents a scrofulous taint , which it was beyond the power of medicine to remove. — Macaulay.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To (l) or (l) (something) with an external (l), either (l) or (l).
  • * Shakespeare
  • His unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love.
  • To (l) (food) by (l).
  • To be infected or corrupted; to be touched by something corrupting.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I cannot taint with fear.
  • To be affected with incipient putrefaction.
  • Meat soon taints in warm weather.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) . Compare with attaint.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A (l) with a (l), which fails of its intended (l).
  • An (l) done to a (l) in an encounter, without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a (l) or unscientific manner.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To damage, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner.
  • * Massinger
  • Do not fear; I have / A staff to taint , and bravely.
  • To hit or touch lightly, in tilting.
  • * Ld. Berners
  • They tainted each other on the helms and passed by.
  • To thrust ineffectually with a lance.
  • Etymology 3

    Reportedly from the phrase “ your balls and 'tain't your ass”.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (slang) The (l).
  • * 2000 June 17, "Marc Newman" (username), " Re: Americas are overated", in talk.politics.guns, Usenet :
  • Sorry you feel that way. But since your mother sucks cocks in hell if I go there I won't be rotting.....I'll be on line right behind you hoping to get another good head job from your Mom or Sister....if you can remember which is which.......(Moms the one with the beard on her taint )
  • * 2005 July 14, "Noodles Jefferson" (username), " Re: My Wife's Raw Comments", in rec.sport.pro-wrestling, Usenet :
  • Even her taint 's raw?
  • * 2010 February 22, "Duchamanos" (username), " Re: Huck Finn 2010-anyone going?", in rec.sport.disc, Usenet :
  • Did you know that guy has absolutely no tan lines? He'll show his taint to prove it!

    Anagrams

    * (l), (l), (l)

    deface

    English

    Verb

    (defac)
  • To damage something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.
  • * 1869:
  • That wondrous frame where melody began / Lay as a tomb defaced that no eye cared to scan.
  • To void or devalue; to nullify or degrade the face value.
  • He defaced the I.O.U. notes by scrawling "void" over them.
  • * 1776:
  • One-and-twenty worn and defaced' shillings, however, were considered as equivalent to a guinea, which perhaps, indeed, was worn and ' defaced too, but seldom so much so.
  • (heraldry, flags) To alter a coat of arms or a flag by adding an element to it.
  • You get the Finnish state flag by defacing the national flag with the state coat of arms placed in the middle of the cross.

    Synonyms

    * (damage in a conspicuous way ): disfigure, mar, obliterate, scar, vandalize * (degrade the face value ): cancel, devalue, nullify, void

    Derived terms

    * defacement

    See also

    * efface