tarnishing
変色する／評判を汚す
解説 Definition
金属の表面が酸化して光沢を失うこと。また、評判や名誉を傷つけること。
Tarnishing means becoming less bright or shiny, especially when metal loses its clean surface. It can also mean damaging a person's reputation or the image of something, so the word is used both literally and figuratively.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
まず金属の文脈で覚えると定着しやすいです。silver is tarnishing のように「ピカピカだった表面がくすむ」と押さえると、そこから比喩で「評判に曇りがかかる」へ広げられます。damage や ruin よりも、急に壊すより「少しずつ光を失わせる」感じが強い語。a scandal is tarnishing his reputation, tarnished image の形が頻出。shine / glossy の反対側に置くと覚えやすいです。
First picture metal losing its shine: silver becomes dull instead of bright. That image helps you remember the figurative use too, when a scandal slowly damages someone's reputation. `Tarnishing` often suggests not sudden destruction, but a gradual loss of shine or respect.
例文
The silver jewelry was tarnishing from exposure to the humid air.
銀のジュエリーが湿気の多い空気にさらされて変色していた。
The scandal is tarnishing the company's reputation in the industry.
そのスキャンダルは業界における会社の評判を傷つけている。
Without proper care, the brass fixtures will begin tarnishing within months.
適切な手入れをしなければ、真鍮の金具は数ヶ月で変色し始める。
tarnishing の類義語・関連語
tarnishing の語源・成り立ち Etymology
tarnishingは古フランス語ternir「くすませる、光を失わせる」に由来し、もとは金属の輝きが曇る感覚の語。terne「鈍い色の」も同系で、物のつやが失われるイメージが、そのまま評判を汚す比喩へ広がった。
"Tarnishing" comes from "tarnish," which is from Old French "ternir," meaning "to dull" or "to lose brightness." It first referred to metal becoming less shiny or clear. From that physical sense, English extended it to a person's name or reputation becoming stained or damaged.
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