Stainability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The degree to which a material or surface can resist picking up stains from dirt, liquids or dye
2. How well a fabric, paint or finish holds up against marks and discoloration caused by contact with substances
3. The resistance of a surface or material to being marked or discolored when exposed to staining agents

Etymology: "Stainability" is simply the noun formed by adding the suffix "-ity" to "stainable," which means capable of being stained. The suffix "-ity," borrowed through Old French from Latin "-itas," turns an adjective into a noun naming the quality it describes, so stainable becomes stainability: the property of being liable to take a stain. Here the base word is itself a formation from "stain" plus "-able," so the term is built in two steps from a verb that has meant to discolour or blemish since Middle English.