Lexic.us

Definition of Tarnish

1. Noun. Discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation.

2. Verb. Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically. "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man"

Definition of Tarnish

1. v. t. To soil, or change the appearance of, especially by an alternation induced by the air, or by dust, or the like; to diminish, dull, or destroy the luster of; to sully; as, to tarnish a metal; to tarnish gilding; to tarnish the purity of color.

2. v. i. To lose luster; to become dull; as, gilding will tarnish in a foul air.

3. n. The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.

Definition of Tarnish

1. Noun. Oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air. ¹

2. Verb. To oxidize or discolor due to oxidation. ¹

3. Verb. To soil, sully, damage or compromise ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tarnish

1. to dull the luster of [v -ED, -ING, -ES]

Medical Definition of Tarnish

1. 1. The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish. 2. A thin film on the surface of a metal, usually due to a slight alteration of the original colour; as, the steel tarnish in columbite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tarnish

tarletans tarlike tarmac tarmacadam tarmacadamed tarmacadaming tarmacadams tarmacked tarmacking tarmacs

tarn tarnal tarnally tarnation tarnations tarnish (current term) tarnishable tarnished tarnished plant bug tarnisher

tarnishers tarnishes tarnishing tarnisht tarns taro taro plant taro root taroc tarocs

Literary usage of Tarnish

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A System of Mineralogy: Including an Extended Treatise on Crystallography by James Dwight Dana (1837)
"tarnish. A metallic surface is tarnished, when its color differs from ... The tarnish is described as irised, when it exhibits the fixed prismatic colors. ..."

2. Contributions to Molecular Physics in the Domain of Radiant Heat: A Series by John Tyndall (1872)
"Influence of tarnish, or of a Lining on the Interior Surface of Experimental Tube. ... this radiation from the interior surface augments with the tarnish of ..."

3. The Chemistry of Cooking and Cleaning: A Manual for House Keepers by Ellen Henrietta Richards, Sophronia Maria Elliott (1907)
"STAINS, SPOTS, tarnish. THESE three classes include the particular deposits resulting from accident, carelessness, or the action of special agents, ..."

4. The Chemistry of Cooking and Cleaning: A Manual for House Keepers by Ellen Henrietta Richards, Sophronia Maria Elliott (1907)
"STAINS, SPOTS, tarnish. THESE three classes include the particular deposits resulting from accident, carelessness, or the action of special agents, ..."

5. The Chemistry of Cooking and Cleaning: A Manual for Housekeepers by Ellen Henrietta Richards, Sophronia Maria Elliott (1907)
"STAINS, SPOTS, tarnish. THESE three classes include the ... carelessness, or the action of special agents, as the tarnish on metals. ..."

6. A Glossary of Mineralogy by Henry William Bristow (1861)
"Colour of the latter, when recently fractured, between copper- red and tombac-brown, but it soon acquires ¡m iridescent tarnish. Lustre metallic. ..."

Other Resources: