Webster
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Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Tarnish

Tar′nish (tär′nĭsh), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tarnished; p. pr. & vb. n. Tarnishing.] [F. ternir, fr. OHG. tarnen to darken, to conceal, hide; akin to OS. dernian to hide, AS. dernan, dyrnan, OHG. tarni hidden, OS. derni, AS. derne, dyrne. Cf. Dern, a., and see -ish.] 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. "Tarnished lace." Fuller. Used also figuratively; as, to tarnish one's honor.

Syn. — To sully; stain; dim.

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

Till thy fresh glories, which now shine so bright, Grow stale and tarnish with our daily sight. Dryden.

Tar′nish, n. 1. The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.

2. (Min.) A thin film on the surface of a metal, usually due to a slight alteration of the original color; as, the steel tarnish in columbite.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty.