What does 'stain' mean? - How to speak English with Misterduncan in England

Most things that we experience in life come and go quite easily.

However, it is possible to experience something

or to find something that will not go away.

Today's English word perfectly expresses this situation.

The word is ‘ ‘stain’.

Just like many English words,

the word ‘stain’ can be used as both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, the word ‘stain’ means a blemish or mark that is difficult to remove,

or in some cases, completely impossible to get rid of.

That thing will not go away.

However hard you try to wash and scrub, it will not go.

We often find a stain on our clothes,

normally due to some sort of spillage.

Perhaps you were eating some messy food

and a small piece of it fell onto your clothing.

Perhaps a drop of coffee was spilt whilst you were drinking it.

A small splash of something landed on you,

such as a drop of paint or fruit juice,

and later on you try to remove it, but it is too late.

There is now a stain on your lovely new shirt.

An accidental stain can occur on an object, such as a wooden table.

A person's teeth can be described as ‘stained’

if they have become discoloured due to neglect.

That person has stained teeth.

On clothing, certain things can leave a stain behind,

such as fruit juice or tomato sauce.

These are all literal stains.

They are... real.

It is possible to use the word stain in a figurative way as well.

A bad experience might leave a stain on your memory.

A bad event or a traumatic moment of time

can be referred to as a stain.

If your good character has been damaged by a bad action,

we can say that your character has a stain.

You were caught committing a crime and now your name has a stain.

The bad deed and the punishment given is a stain on your character.

As a verb, the action of causing damage

by creating a mark that is hard to remove can be described as a stain. (to stain)

You might stain your shirt by spilling coffee onto it.

You might stain a piece of wood, so as to change the colour of it.

Figuratively, you might stain your good name by committing a crime.

In general terms, you stain something.

The action creates a stain.

Quite often, a stain will never go away.

It will always be there.

It cannot be removed. It is permanent.

Synonyms of ‘stain’ include...

mark, blemish, blotch, spatter.

If something cannot be removed or washed away,

we can describe it as being indelible.

That stain will not vanish, no matter how many times you wash it.

So whether it is used in the literal sense or the figurative sense,

quite often that stain will be there... forever.