Sully

Part of speech: noun (n.)

Soil; tarnish; stain. A noble and triumphant merit breaks through little spots and sullies in his reputation. Spectator.

Part of speech: verb (v.)

To soil; to dirty; to spot; to tarnish; to stain; to darken; -- used literally and figuratively; as, to sully a sword; to sully a person's reputation. Statues sullied yet with sacrilegious smoke. Roscommon. No spots to sully the brightness of this solemnity. Atterbury.

Part of speech: verb (v.)

To become soiled or tarnished. Silvering will sully and canker more than gilding. Bacon.