mud stain - Glite Dictionary

Examples

Or it's the letter from your kid at camp, with the smeared pencil and mud stains on it.

Blog text (26)
After playing in the rain, I noticed a large mud stain on my shirt.
The kitten accidentally walked through the garden and left a mud stain on the kitchen floor.
She tried to clean the mud stain from her dress before the dinner party.

Synonyms

mark

vsmud stain

473 1.0

A visible line, spot, scratch, or stain on a surface

is a specific discoloration produced by wet dirt on a surface

stain

vsmud stain

230 1.4

A mark that makes something a different color and is hard to remove

is a discoloration caused by wet dirt

smudge

vsmud stain

35 1.9

A dirty mark on something that makes it look untidy

is formed when wet dirt contacts a surface

smear

vsmud stain

19 4.1

A messy mark left on a surface by a substance

is instead a localized deposit from wet dirt

daub

vsmud stain

1 7.7

A small spot of dirt or sticky food on something

is a blemish made specifically by wet dirt

tache

vsmud stain

Archaic

1 9.9

A small spot or stain on a surface

is usually larger and made when wet dirt lands and dries

smirch

vsmud stain

Archaic

1 9.8

A dirty mark that spoils the look of clothing or fabric

is specifically caused by wet dirt rather than general dirt

How Dirty

mudhole

1 1.3

mud stain

1 1.1

mud spatter

1 3.1

speck

70 1.3

Surface Forms

mud stain singular

mud stains plural

Morphology

mud + stain

The meaning 'a mark or discoloration caused by mud' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'mud' (the substance) with 'stain' (a mark), with the first noun specifying the source of the stain. This straightforward noun–noun composition is a common and predictable pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Mud stain comes from the simple image of someone stepping in wet mud and leaving a dark stain on clothes, carpet, or shoes. So it means 'a mark or discoloration' left by mud.