sting

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sting

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• IPA^(key): /stɪŋ/

• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ɪŋ

From Middle English stynge, sting, stenge, from Old English sting, stinċġ (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stangiz.

sting (plural stings)

a sting (sense 8)

1. A bump left on the skin after having been stung.

   Look at this nasty hornet sting: it's turned blue!

2. A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom.

   She died from a bee sting.

3. A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.

   Synonym: stinger

4. A sharp, localized pain primarily on the epidermis.

   That plant will give a little sting if you touch it.

5. (botany) A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
6. The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
   • c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     the lurking serpent's mortal sting

7. (law enforcement) A police operation in which the police pretend to engage in criminal activity in order to catch a criminal.

   The criminal gang was caught after a successful sting.

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

     Shepard: I'm taking you in, Jax.
     Turian Bodyguard: It's a sting. Bastard set us up.
     Jax: What the hell are you playing at?

9. A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
10. A brief sequence of music used in films, TV, and video games as a form of scenic punctuation or to identify the broadcasting station.
11. A support for a wind tunnel model which extends parallel to the air flow.
    • 2001, T. J. Mueller, Fixed and Flapping Wing Aerodynamics for Micro Air Vehicle Applications, page 118:

      The balance is mounted externally on top of the wind tunnel test section. A sting connects the balance to the model.

12. (figurative) The harmful or painful part of something.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, 1 Corinthians 15:56, column 1:

      The ſting of death is ſinne, […]

    • 2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC‎:

      Just as it appeared Arsenal had taken the sting out of the tie, Johnson produced a moment of outrageous quality, thundering a bullet of a left foot shot out of the blue and into the top left-hand corner of Wojciech Szczesny's net with the Pole grasping at thin air.

13. A goad; incitement.
    • 1609, William Shakespeare, “A Louers Complaint”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. , London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

      O most potential love! vow, bond, nor space, / In thee hath neither sting, knot, nor confine

14. The concluding point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying.

• (pointed portion of an insect or arachnid): stinger

From Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, from Proto-Germanic *stinganą. Compare Swedish and Icelandic stinga.

sting (third-person singular simple present stings, present participle stinging, simple past stung or (rare, dialectal) stang, past participle stung)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.
2. (transitive, of an insect or arachnid) To puncture with the stinger.

   A mosquito stung me on the arm.

3. (intransitive, sometimes figurative) To hurt, to be in pain (physically or emotionally).

   My hand stings after knocking on the door so long.

   Still, it stung when a slightly older acquaintance asked me why I couldn't do any better.

   • 2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC‎:

     But Birmingham were clearly stung by some harsh words from manager Alex McLeish at the break and within 15 minutes of the restart the game had an entirely different complexion.

4. (figurative) To cause harm or pain to.

   I thought I could park in front of the hotel, but they stung me for five pounds!

• GTINs, Tings, gnits, tings

sting

1. Alternative form of stynge

From the verb stinge.

sting n (definite singular stinget, indefinite plural sting, definite plural stinga or stingene)

1. a stitch (in sewing and surgery)
2. stitch (pain in the side)

   Synonyms: hold, leverhogg

• “sting” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From the verb stinga, from Old Norse stinga, from Proto-Germanic *stinganą.

(pain): May be a calque of English stitch

sting m (definite singular stingen, indefinite plural stingar or stinger, definite plural stingane or stingene)

1. stitch (pain in the side)

   Synonyms: hald, leverhogg

sting n (definite singular stinget, indefinite plural sting, definite plural stinga)

1. a stitch (in sewing and surgery)

• “sting” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Proto-Germanic *stangiz; akin to stingan.

• IPA^(key): /stinɡ/,

sting m

1. sting, stinging (of an animal)

• Middle English: stynge, stenge, sting, steng
  • English: sting
  • Scots: sting

sting

1. inflection of stinge:
   1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. third-person plural present indicative

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sting

1. imperative of stinga

• tings