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.
