spot vs stain

spot

verb
  • To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain. 

  • To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing. 

  • To retouch a photograph on film to remove minor flaws. 

  • To keep the head and eyes pointing in a single direction while turning. 

  • To place an object at a location indicated by a spot. 

  • To support or assist a maneuver, or to be prepared to assist if safety dictates. 

  • To loan a small amount of money to someone. 

  • To stain; to leave a spot (on). 

  • To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify. 

  • To position (a locomotive or car) at a predetermined point, e.g., for loading or unloading. 

  • To position (an aircraft) on the deck of an aircraft carrier ready for launch by catapult. 

  • To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation. 

adj
  • Available on the spot; for immediate payment or delivery. 

noun
  • A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars. 

  • A bright lamp; a spotlight. 

  • The southern redfish, or red horse (Sciaenops ocellatus), which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail. 

  • The act of spotting or noticing something. 

  • An official determination of placement. 

  • A brief advertisement or program segment on television. 

  • Penalty spot. 

  • A food fish (Leiostomus xanthurus) of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides. 

  • A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak. 

  • An autosoliton. 

  • A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape. 

  • A parking space. 

  • One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter. 

  • Any of various points marked on the table, from which balls are played, in snooker, pool, billiards, etc. 

  • A difficult situation. 

  • A pimple, papule or pustule. 

  • A stain or disfiguring mark. 

  • A decimal point; point. 

  • A location or area. 

  • Any of the balls marked with spots in the game of pool, which one player aims to pot, the other player taking the stripes. 

  • A small, unspecified amount or quantity. 

stain

verb
  • To become stained; to take a stain. 

  • To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. 

  • To coat a surface with a stain 

  • To treat (a microscopic specimen) with a dye, especially one that dyes specific features 

  • To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation 

  • To discolour. 

noun
  • A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible. 

  • A discoloured spot or area. 

  • Any of a number of non-standard tinctures used in modern heraldry. 

  • A blemish on one's character or reputation. 

  • A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it. 

How often have the words spot and stain occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )