tainting

Verb

taint (third-person singular simple present taints, present participle tainting, simple past and past participle tainted)

1. (transitive) To contaminate or corrupt (something) with an external agent, either physically or morally.
   • His unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love.c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...

   Synonyms:

   leper

2. (transitive) To spoil (food) by contamination.
3. (intransitive) To be infected or corrupted; to be touched by something corrupting.
   • I cannot taint with fear.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
4. (intransitive) To be affected with incipient putrefaction.
   • Meat soon taints in warm weather.
5. (transitive) To mark (a variable) as unsafe, so that operations involving it are subject to additional security checks.
6. (Australia, transitive) To invalidate (a share capital account) by transferring profits into it.

See all 17 meanings of taint