tache

blot, stain or smear; spot; more or less stain-like mark of a different color; blotch, mark; moral depravation; annoying or despicable person

Inherited from Middle French tache, from Old French tache, taiche, taje (“mark, spot, stain”), from Vulgar Latin *tacca, *tecca, from Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌺𐌽𐍃 (taikns, “mark, sign”), from Proto-Germanic *taiknaz, *taikną (“sign, mark”), from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show”). Influenced by forms related to Frankish *stakjan, *stakkijan (“to stick, attach”) and Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌺𐍃 (staks, “mark”). See attacher. For levelling and shortening of diphthong ai in taikns compare Old French hanter, hangar