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Tainted

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Corrupted by dark magic, sin, or contact with the occult, rendering the person or object impure, unclean, or cursed.

Detailed Definition
Tainted in poetry symbolizes the indelible stain of transgression. It appears in religious and psychological verse as the moment when innocence is lost—not in a scream, but a whisper—and the soul remembers what the world pretends to forget.
Example
Example in poetry:
Tainted; A Puritan-era lyric: “The well was tainted—not by poison, but by the song she sang when no one watched; now all who drink remember her last sigh”;
Additional Notes
Tainted describes corruption by dark magic, sin, or occult contact, rendering person or object impure, unclean, or cursed. In folklore, taint spreads through touch, gaze, or breath. In poetry, it symbolizes inherited guilt, societal stigma, or the indelible mark of trauma. Poets use it to explore shame, exclusion, and the persistence of invisible wounds.
Also Known As
Corrupted Defiled Poisoned besmeared
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