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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Tarnish \Tar"nish\, verb (used without an object) To lose luster; to become dull; as, gilding will tarnish in a foul air.
Till thy fresh glories, which now shine so bright, Grow stale and tarnish with our daily sight. --Dryden.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Tarnish \Tar"nish\, noun
1. The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.
2. (Min.) A thin film on the surface of a metal, usually due to a slight alteration of the original color; as, the steel tarnish in columbite.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Tarnish \Tar"nish\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Tarnished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tarnishing}.] [F. ternir, fr. OHG. tarnen to darken, to conceal, hide; akin to OS. dernian to hide, AS. dernan, dyrnan, OHG. tarni hidden, OS. derni, AS. derne, dyrne. Cf. {Dern}, adjective, and see {-ish}.] To soil, or change the appearance of, especially by an alternation induced by the air, or by dust, or the like; to diminish, dull, or destroy the luster of; to sully; as, to tarnish a metal; to tarnish gilding; to tarnish the purity of color. ''Tarnished lace.'' --Fuller. Used also figuratively; as, to tarnish one's honor.
Syn: To sully; stain; dim.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
tarnish
noun: discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation
verb: make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man" [syn: {stain}, {maculate}, {sully}, {defile}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
143 Moby Thesaurus words for "tarnish": achromatize, asperse, aspersion, attaint, badge of infamy, bar sinister, baton, bedaub, befoul, begrime, benasty, bend sinister, besmear, besmirch, besmoke, besoil, bespatter, bestain, black eye, black mark, blacken, blanch, bleach, blemish, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blow upon, blur, brand, broad arrow, call names, calumniate, censure, champain, contaminate, corrupt, dab, damage, darken, daub, debase, decolor, decolorize, defame, defile, degrade, denigrate, dim, dirty, disapprove, discolor, disgrace, dishonor, disparage, disparagement, drain, drain of color, dull, embarrass, engage in personalities, etiolate, expose, expose to infamy, eyesore, fade, fleck, flick, flyspeck, foul, fume, gibbet, grime, hang in effigy, harm, heap dirt upon, hurt, impair, imputation, infect, injure, macula, maculation, macule, mar, mark, mark of Cain, mess, mess up, muckrake, muddy, nasty, onus, pale, patch, peroxide, pillory, pillorying, point champain, pollute, prejudice, reflection, reprimand, reproach, revile, ruin, scorch, sear, singe, slander, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smoke, smooch, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, spatter, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splotch, spoil, spot, stain, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, stigmatize, sully, taint, tar, throw mud at, tone down, vilify, vitiate, wash out, whiten
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