brand vs taint

brand

noun
  • A mark of infamy; stigma. 

  • A specific product, service, or provider so distinguished. 

  • A torch used for signaling. 

  • Any minute fungus producing a burnt appearance in plants. 

  • Any specific type or variety of something; a distinct style or manner. 

  • A branding iron. 

  • A mark or scar made by burning with a hot iron, especially to mark cattle or to classify the contents of a cask. 

  • The symbolic identity, represented by a name and/or a logo, which indicates a certain product or service to the public. 

  • The public image or reputation and recognized, typical style of an individual or group. 

verb
  • To burn the flesh with a hot iron, either as a marker (for criminals, slaves etc.) or to cauterise a wound. 

  • To mark (especially cattle) with a brand as proof of ownership. 

  • To make an indelible impression on the memory or senses. 

  • To stigmatize, label (someone). 

  • To associate a product or service with a trademark or other name and related images. 

taint

noun
  • A mark of disgrace, especially on one's character; blemish. 

  • A tinge, trace or touch. 

  • A marker indicating that a variable is unsafe and should be subjected to additional security checks. 

  • A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food. 

  • A thrust with a lance, which fails of its intended effect. 

  • An injury done to a lance in an encounter, without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a dishonorable or unscientific manner. 

  • The perineum. 

verb
  • To contaminate or corrupt (something) with an external agent, either physically or morally. 

  • To damage, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner. 

  • To be infected or corrupted; to be touched by something corrupting. 

  • To thrust ineffectually with a lance. 

  • To invalidate (a share capital account) by transferring profits into it. 

  • To be affected with incipient putrefaction. 

  • To spoil (food) by contamination. 

  • To mark (a variable) as unsafe, so that operations involving it are subject to additional security checks. 

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