different between influence vs taint

English

Etymology

From Middle English influence, from Old French influence (“emanation from the stars affecting one's fate”), from Medieval Latin ?nfluentia, from Latin ?nflu?ns (“flowing in”), present active participle of ?nflu? (“flow into”), from in- (“in-”) + flu? (“flow”). Doublet of influenza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??n.flu.?ns/
• Hyphenation: in?flu?ence

Noun

influence (countable and uncountable, plural influences)

1. The power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; the ability to change the development of fluctuating things such as conduct, thoughts or decisions.

2. An action exerted by a person or thing with such power on another to cause change.

3. A person or thing exerting such power or action.

   • The animals were thoroughly frightened. It seemed to them as though Snowball were some kind of invisible influence, pervading the air about them and menacing them with all kinds of dangers.

4. (astrology) An element believed to determine someone's character or individual tendencies, caused by the position of the stars and planets at the time of one's birth.
5. (obsolete) The action of flowing in; influx.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     God hath his influence into the very essence of all things.

6. (electricity) Electrostatic induction.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "influence": cultural, political, social, economic, military, personal, moral, intellectual, mental, good, bad, positive, negative, beneficial, harmful, huge, big, heavy, significant, important, potential, actual, primary.

Hyponyms

• social influence

Derived terms

• influencer

Related terms

Translations

Verb

influence (third-person singular simple present influences, present participle influencing, simple past and past participle influenced)

1. (transitive) To have an effect on by using gentle or subtle action; to exert an influence upon; to modify, bias, or sway; to persuade or induce.

   The politician wants to influence the public.

   I must admit that this book influenced my outlook on life.

2. (intransitive) To exert, make use of one's influence.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To cause to flow in or into; infuse; instill.

Derived terms

• influenceable
• influencer
• influencive

Related terms

• influent
• influential
• influenza, flu

Translations

French

Etymology

From Old French influence, borrowed from Medieval Latin ?nfluentia, from Latin ?nflu?ns (“flowing in”), present active participle of ?nflu? (“flow into”), from in- (“in-”) + flu? (“flow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.fly.??s/

Noun

influence f (plural influences)

1. influence

Derived terms

• zone d'influence

Related terms

Verb

influence

1. first-person singular present indicative of influencer
2. third-person singular present indicative of influencer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of influencer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of influencer
5. second-person singular imperative of influencer

Further reading

• “influence” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ?nfluentia, from Latin ?nflu?ns (“flowing in”), present active participle of ?nflu? (“flow into”).

Noun

influence f (oblique plural influences, nominative singular influence, nominative plural influences)

1. inundation; flooding; influx of water
2. influence, especially viewed as a mystical force affecting one's fate

Descendants

• ? English: influence
• French: influence

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (influence, supplement)

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /te?nt/
• Rhymes: -e?nt

Etymology 1

From Middle French teint, from Old French teint (past participle of teindre (“to dye, to tinge”)), from Latin tinctum (past participle of tingere).

Noun

taint (plural taints)

1. A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food
2. A mark of disgrace, especially on one's character; blemish
3. (obsolete) tincture; hue; colour
4. (obsolete) infection; corruption; deprivation

   • He had inherited from his ancestors a scrofulous taint, which it was beyond the power of medicine to remove.

5. (programming) A marker indicating that a variable is unsafe and should be subjected to additional security checks.
   • 2006, Jim Chow, Stanford University. Computer Science Dept, Understanding data lifetime (page 33)

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

Translations

Verb

taint (third-person singular simple present taints, present participle tainting, simple past and past participle tainted)

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.

Translations

Related terms

• tainture

Etymology 2

From Middle English taynt, aphetic form of attaynt, atteynt, from Old French atteinte (“a blow, stroke”). Compare with attaint.

Noun

taint (plural taints)

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.

Translations

Verb

taint (third-person singular simple present taints, present participle tainting, simple past and past participle tainted)

1. (transitive) To damage, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner.
   • 1624, Philip Massinger, The Parliament of Love

     Do not fear; I have / A staff to taint, and bravely.

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

Etymology 3

Reportedly from the phrase “'tain't your balls and 'tain't your ass”. Ascribed to E.E. Landy's Underground Dict. (1972) is the following explanation: ‘'taint their ass and 'taint their pussy.’

Noun

taint (plural taints)

1. (US, slang) The perineum.
   • 2000 June 17, "Marc Newman" (username), "Re: Americas are overated", in talk.politics.guns, Usenet:

     Sorry you feel that way. But since your mother sucks cocks in hell if I go there I won't be rotting.....I'll be on line right behind you hoping to get another good head job from your Mom or Sister....if you can remember which is which.......(Moms the one with the beard on her taint)

   • 2005 July 14, "Noodles Jefferson" (username), "Re: My Wife's Raw Comments", in rec.sport.pro-wrestling, Usenet:

     Even her taint's raw?

   • 2010 February 22, "Duchamanos" (username), "Re: Huck Finn 2010-anyone going?", in rec.sport.disc, Usenet:

     Did you know that guy has absolutely no tan lines? He'll show his taint to prove it!

   • 2017, John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, HBO:

     Thats right, Alex Jones is trying to sell you sloppy wet rags for your tait [sic]. And-- and when you are done wiping down the area between your genitals and anus with a glorified wet nap...

     And look-- look, this tactical taint wipe has demonstrated incredible results, hasn't it, Doctor?

Translations

Etymology 4

Contraction of it ain't.

Contraction

taint

1. Alternative spelling of 'taint

References

• taint in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• taint at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Nitta, Tanit, Titan, nitta, tinta, titan