| stain | 1. To discolour by the application of foreign matter; to make foul; to spot; as, to stain the hand with dye; armor stained with blood. 2. To colour, as wood, glass, paper, cloth, or the like, by processess affecting, chemically or otherwise, the material itself; to tinge with a colour or colours combining with, or penetrating, the substance; to dye; as, to stain wood with acids, coloured washes, paint rubbed in, etc.; to stain glass. 3. To spot with guilt or infamy; to bring reproach on; to blot; to soil; to tarnish. "Of honor void, Of innocence, of faith, of purity, Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained." (Milton) 4. To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. "She stains the ripest virgins of her age." (Beau. & Fl) "That did all other beasts in beauty stain." (Spenser) Stained glass, glass coloured or stained by certain metallic pigments fused into its substance, often used for making ornament windows. Synonym: To paint, dye, blot, soil, sully, discolour, disgrace, taint. Paint, Stain, Dye. These denote three different processes; the first mechanical, the other two, chiefly chemical. To paint a thing is so spread a coat of colouring matter over it; to stain or dye a thing is to impart colour to its substance. To stain is said chiefly of solids, as wood, glass, paper; to dye, of fibrous substances, textile fabrics, etc.; the one, commonly, a simple process, as applying a wash; the other more complex, as fixing colours by mordants. Origin: Abbrev. Fr. Distain. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| stainer | 1. One who stains or tarnishes. 2. A workman who stains; as, a stainer of wood. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| staining | The use of a dye, reagent, or other material for producing colouration in tissues or microorganisms for microscopic examination. (12 Dec 1998) |
| stainless steel | <chemical> Stainless steel. A steel containing ni, cr, or both. It does not tarnish on exposure and is used in corrosive environments. Chemical name: Stainless steel (12 Dec 1998) |
| stains-all | 4,5,4',5'-Dibenzo-3,3'-diethyl-9-methylthiocarbocyanine bromide;a dye that stains phosphoproteins blue, proteins red, nucleic acids purple, and mucoproteins and mucopolysaccharides various colours on acrylamide gels; also used on tissue sections. (05 Mar 2000) |
| staircase | A flight of stairs with their supporting framework, casing, balusters, etc. "To make a complete staircase is a curious piece of architecture." (Sir H. Wotton) Staircase shell. <zoology> Any scalaria, or wentletrap. Any species of Solarium, or perspective shell. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| staircase phenomenon | A phenomenon in cardiac muscle first observed by H.P. Bowditch; if a number of stimuli of the same intensity are sent into the muscle after a quiescent period, the first few contractions of the series show a successive increase in amplitude (strength). Synonym: staircase phenomenon. Origin: Ger. Treppe, staircase (05 Mar 2000) |