SuaviloquyToday’s word

tinge

Tinge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tinged; p. pr. & vb. n. Tingeing.]

Etymology: [L. tingere, tinctum, to dye, stain, wet; akin to Gr. tunken to dip, OHG. tunchon, dunchon, thunkon. Cf. Distain, Dunker, Stain, Taint a stain, to stain, Tincture, Tint.]

To imbue or impregnate with something different or foreign; as, to tinge a decoction with a bitter taste; to affect in some degree with the qualities of another substance, either by mixture, or by application to the surface; especially, to color slightly; to stain; as, to tinge a blue color with red; an infusion tinged with a yellow color by saffron. His [Sir Roger's] virtues, as well as imperfections, are tinged by a certain extravagance. Addison.

Syn. -- To color; dye; stain.

1 other Webster entry under this spelling

Tinge, n.

A degree, usually a slight degree, of some color, taste, or something foreign, infused into another substance or mixture, or added to it; tincture; color; dye; hue; shade; taste. His notions, too, respecting the government of the state, took a tinge from his notions respecting the government of the church. Macaulay.

Shades of meaning

Fernald has no entry of its own for tinge; he lists it under stain.

Where he writes about it:

To tinge is to color slightly, and may also be used of giving a slight flavor, or a slight admixture of one ingredient or quality with another that is more pronounced. — from stain