tarnish (n.)

  1. discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation

    tarnish (v.)

  1. make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air; Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man

    [ Syn: stain , maculate , sully , defile ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.