stain
n. countablen. a dirty mark on something that is difficult to remove. You usually see these after spilling food or drink on clothes or furniture.
n. a discoloured mark or spot on a surface that is often difficult to remove. Refers to both physical blemishes and figurative marks on a person's reputation.
I have a coffee stain on my white shirt.
The red wine left a dark stain on the carpet that required professional cleaning to remove.
The scandal left a permanent stain on the politician's career, overshadowing his previous achievements and making a return to public office nearly impossible.
From Middle English steinen, steynen (“to stain, colour, paint”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse steina (“to stain, colour, paint”), from steinn (“stone, mineral blue, colour, stain”), from Proto-Norse ᛊᛏᚨᛁᚾᚨᛉ (stainaʀ), from Proto-Germanic stainaz (“stone”), from Proto-Indo-European steyh₂- (“to stiffen”). Cognate with Old English stān (“stone”). More at stone. Replaced native Middle English wem (“spot, blemish, stain”), from Old English wamm (“spot, stain”). In some senses, influenced by unrelated Middle English disteynen (“to discolor, remove the colour from"; literally, "de-colour”), from Anglo-Norman desteindre (“to remove the colour from, bleach”), from Old French destaindre (“to remove the color from, bleach”), from des- (“dis-, de-, un-”) + teindre (“to dye”), from Latin tingo.
Often used with the preposition 'on' to indicate the affected surface.