Definition of "taint" in English

noun

1. A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food.

2. A tinge, trace or touch.

3. A mark of disgrace, especially on one's character; blemish.

4. (obsolete) Tincture; hue; colour.

5. (obsolete) Infection; corruption; deprivation.

6. (programming) A marker indicating that a variable is unsafe and should be subjected to additional security checks.

   • Using Apache version 1.3.29 and Perl version 5.8.2, we tracked the following sequence of taints […]

verb

1. (transitive) To contaminate or corrupt (something) with an external agent, either physically or morally.

2. (transitive) To spoil (food) by contamination.

3. (intransitive) To be infected or corrupted; to be touched by something corrupting.

4. (intransitive) To be affected with incipient putrefaction.

   • Meat soon taints in warm weather.

5. (transitive, computing, programming) To mark (a variable) as unsafe, so that operations involving it are subject to additional security checks.

6. (transitive, Australia, finance) To invalidate (a share capital account) by transferring profits into it.

noun

1. A thrust with a lance, which fails of its intended effect.

2. An injury done to a lance in an encounter, without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a dishonorable or unscientific manner.

verb

1. (transitive) To damage, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner.

2. (intransitive) To thrust ineffectually with a lance.

noun

1. (US, vulgar, slang) The perineum.

contraction

1. Alternative spelling of 'taint.