- (a.) 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.
- (v.i.) To lose luster; to become dull; as, gilding will tarnish in a foul air.
- (n.) The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.
- (n.) 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
| APA | Webster's. (2011). tarnish. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/tarnish/definitions/2070481 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "tarnish" http://smartdefine.org/tarnish/definitions/2070481 (accessed September 23, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, tarnish, Smart Define, viewed 23 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/tarnish/definitions/2070481>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "tarnish" 28 May 2011. Web. 23 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/tarnish/definitions/2070481> |