tinge Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a slight but appreciable amount
    jot; speck; hint; pinch; soupcon; touch; mite.
    • this dish could use a touch of garlic
  2. noun a pale or subdued color
    undertone.
  3. verb affect as in thought or feeling
    color; colour; distort.
    • My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
    • The sadness tinged his life
  4. verb color lightly
    touch; tinct; tint.
    • her greying hair was tinged blond
    • the leaves were tinged red in November

WordNet

Tinge transitive verb
Etymology
L. tingere, tinctum, to dye, stain, wet; akin to Gr. , and perhaps to G. tunken to dip, OHG. tunchon, dunchon, thunkon. Cf. Distain, Dunker, Stain, Taint a stain, to stain, Tincture, Tint.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Tinged ; present participle & verbal noun Tingeing
Definitions
  1. To imbue or impregnate with something different or foreign; as, to tinge a decoction with a bitter taste; to affect in some degree with the qualities of another substance, either by mixture, or by application to the surface; especially, to color slightly; to stain; as, to tinge a blue color with red; an infusion tinged with a yellow color by saffron.
    His [Sir Roger's] virtues, as well as imperfections, are tinged by a certain extravagance. Addison.
    Syn. -- To color; dye; stain.
Tinge noun
Definitions
  1. A degree, usually a slight degree, of some color, taste, or something foreign, infused into another substance or mixture, or added to it; tincture; color; dye; hue; shade; taste.
    His notions, too, respecting the government of the state, took a tinge from his notions respecting the government of the church. Macaulay.

Webster 1913