Tincture: A Hint of Tint, But T'aint about Taint

I ran across the word tincture recently and wondered what, if any, relationship the word had to distinct, extinct, and instinct. It turns out tincture is more closely related etymologically to taint, tinge, and tint than any of the other “-tinct” words.

Let’s follow the etymology of tincture. The noun tincture came into English in about 1400 from the Latin word for the act of dyeing: tincture, which came from tinctus which is the past participle of tingere. Within 100 years the verb tinge appeared in English from the Latin word tingere. Then by 1600 the nouns taint and tinct (from the Latin tinctus) appear. Taint came from the Old French word for color, dye or stain: teint. The Old French got teint from the Latin word tinctus and within 20 years of its arrival the English had added the sense of corruption or contamination. By that time tincture was also being used as a verb. Before another 20 years had passed tincture was also being used of a solution of medicine in alcohol, as in tincture of iodine (but also tincture of benzoin and even of opium). In 1717 the word tinct was altered to the commonly used tint, probably influenced by the Italian word for color which is tinta. But the etymology of words from tingere wasn’t complete: in 1752 we have the first recorded use of tinge as a noun.   

What is the difference in meaning? When do you use tincture rather than tint, tinge, or taint?

Tincture, when not meaning something in a solution of alcohol, means to give color to, tinge, or to “imbue or infuse with something” according to dictionary.com. It has lost its close association with color, and now is often used in the imbuing or infusing sense.

Tinge as a verb means to impart a slight trace or degree of tint (or now taste or smell) to. When used of color it can be synonymous with tint, although tint alludes to a more general or complete but weak coloration while tinge would have an even more limited or visible coloration.

Tint (the word formerly known as tinct) is a color or hue, but can also mean a color that has been diluted with white. It is most often used of a diluted or lightened color and among these words is the one most often used in coloring hair.

Taint is the negative infusion or imbuing of something. It can be infection or contamination, can be physical or moral, but is rarely anything but bad. It is possible to find examples without a negative meaning, but that is the misuse of the word. Use tint or tinge if you wish to describe a hint of a color or something good.

So where do distinct, extinct, and instinct come from? They are all related to the past participle forms of Latin words (extinctus, instinctus, and distinctus), which is why they also have the -tinct ending. All three are related to the Latin word for prick or goad or quench: stinguere. And etymonline further elucidates with the tieing the “ish” forms of words like extinguish and distinguish to the “Latin inchoative suffix –iscere).

Unfortunately there’s no space to delve into this today, so stay tuned.