DISTAIN, verb transitive [dis and stain. Latin See Stain.] 1. To stain; to tinge with any different color from the natural or proper one; to discolor. We speak of a sword distained with blood; a garment distained with gore. It has precisely the signification of stain, but is used chiefly or appropriately in poetry and the higher kinds of prose. 2. To blot; to sully; to defile; to tarnish. She distained her honorable blood. The worthiness of praise distains his worth.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI