Where does “taint” come from?
Taint comes from Middle English taynt, from Middle English atteynt, from Latin tinctum and tinctus, past participles of Latin tingo meaning to dip or color, from Proto-Indo-European teng-.
taint (English): A contamination, decay or putrefaction,...
Definitions
- A contamination, decay or putrefaction,...
Ancestry of “taint”, step by step
taint traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French teint
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | teint | — |
| 2 | Old French | teint | — |
| 3 | Latin | tinctum | nominative neuter singular of tīnctus; accusative... |
| 4 | Latin | tinctus | impregnated with; dipped in; treated; coloured,... |
| 5 | Latin | tingō | to wet, moisten, dip in, impregnate with; to smear; to dip, immerse |
| 6 | Latin | tingere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | teng- | to think |