sting

See also: STing

English

A wasp sting--a pointed portion of an insect

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɪŋ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋ

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

sting (plural stings)

1. A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
2. A bite by an insect.
3. A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
4. A sharp, localised pain primarily on the epidermis
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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     the lurking serpent's mortal sting

7. (law enforcement) A police operation in which the police pretend to be criminals in order to catch a criminal.
8. A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
9. A brief sequence of music used in films, TV, and video games as a form of punctuation in a dramatic or comedic scene.
10. A support for a wind tunnel model which extends parallel to the air flow.
11. (figurative) The harmful or painful part of something.
    • Bible, 1 Corinthians xv. 56

      The sting of death is sin.

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

      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.

12. A goad; incitement.

    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

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

Synonyms

• (pointed portion of an insect): stinger

Translations

bump on skin after having been stung

• Catalan: fiblada (ca) f, picada (ca) f
• Czech: bodnutí n, píchnutí n
• Finnish: paukama (fi), patti (fi)
• French: piqûre (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Stich (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: csípés (hu)
• Italian: bozzo m, gonfiore (it) m, escrescenza (it) f, protuberanza (it) f, rigonfiamento (it) m
• Japanese: (general) 刺し傷 (sashi-kizu); (formal) 刺傷 (shishō)
• Norwegian: stikk (no) n
• Spanish: picadura (es) f

bite or sting (by an insect)

• Armenian: խայթոց (hy) (xaytʻocʻ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 叮咬 (zh) (dīngyǎo)

• Czech: bodnutí, píchnutí
• Finnish: pistos (fi), purema (fi)
• French: piqûre (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Stich (de) m, Biss (de) m, Insektenstich (de) m, Insektenbiss m, (bee) Bienenstich (de) m, (wasp) Wespenstich (de), (scorpion) Skorpionstich m
• Hebrew: עֲקִיצָה f
• Hungarian: csípés (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: puntura (it) f
• Japanese: 虫刺され (mushi sasare), 虫さされ (mushi sasare)
• Malay: sengatan
• Norwegian: stikk (no) n
• Persian: گزش (fa) (gazeš)
• Portuguese: ferroada (pt) f (sting), picada (pt) f (bite)
• Romanian: înțepătură (ro) f
• Russian: уку́с насеко́мого m (ukús nasekómovo)
• Spanish: picadura (es) f
• Telugu: కుట్టు (te) (kuṭṭu)
• Thai: กัด (th) (gàt), ต่อย (th) (dtɔ̀i)
• Volapük: stegül, (insect) näsäkastegül, (bee) bienastegül, (flea) flibastegül, (scorpion) skorpionastegül

pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack — see stinger

sharp, localised pain in epidermis

• Finnish: pisto (fi)
• Spanish: punzada (es) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Telugu: కుట్టు (te) (kuṭṭu)

police operation

• Czech: zátah, léčka
• Finnish: soluttautuminen
• German: verdeckte Operation f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 囮捜査 (おとりそうさ, otorisōsa)
• Spanish: trampa (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} steek (nl)
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} sengatan (id)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} piccatura

Etymology 2

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English stingen, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English stingan, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *stinganą. Compare Swedish and Icelandic stinga.

Verb

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.

   Right so came out an adder of a little heathbush, and it stung a knight in the foot.

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

2. (transitive, of an insect) To bite.
3. (intransitive, sometimes figurative) To hurt, to be in pain.

   My hand stings after knocking on the door so long.

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

     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!

Derived terms

• sting like a bee
• stingy

 

Translations

to hurt

• Czech: bodnout, kousnout
• Finnish: pistää (fi), purra (fi)
• German: stechen (de)
• Latvian: dzelt
• Maori: nanamu
• Norman: pitchi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Quechua: wach'iy
• Romanian: împunge (ro)
• Russian: (transitive) причиня́ть боль impf (pričinjátʹ bolʹ), (intransitive) чу́вствовать боль impf (čúvstvovatʹ bolʹ), (intransitive) испы́тывать боль impf (ispýtyvatʹ bolʹ), (intransitive) боле́ть (ru) impf (bolétʹ)
• Spanish: picar (es), pinchar (es)
• Tagalog: nasakitan

of an insect: to bite

• Arabic: لَسَعَ (lasaʕa)

  Moroccan Arabic: قْرص (qrəṣ), عدّ (ʕədd)

• Armenian: կծել (hy) (kcel), խայթել (hy) (xaytʻel)
• Belarusian: джа́ліць impf (džálicʹ), куса́ць impf (kusácʹ), джгаць impf (džhacʹ)
• Brunei Malay: sangat
• Bulgarian: жиля (bg) impf (žilja)
• Catalan: picar (ca), fiblar (ca)
• Cebuano: gipaak, napaak
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 蜇 (zh) (zhē), 叮 (zh) (dīng), 螫 (zh) (shì), 刺 (zh) (cì), 刺痛 (zh) (cìtòng)

• Czech: bodnout pf, píchnout (cs) pf
• Finnish: pistää (fi), purra (fi)
• French: piquer (fr)
• Friulian: sponzi, spongi
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: stechen (de), beißen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: κεντέω (kentéō)

• Hungarian: szúr (hu), csíp (hu)
• Italian: pungere (it)
• Japanese: 食う (ja) (くう, kuu), 刺す (ja) (さす, sasu)
• Korean: 물다 (ko) (mulda), 찌르다 (ko) (jjireuda), 쏘다 (ko) (ssoda)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• Ladin: sponjer, sponje
• Latin: īcō
• Latvian: dzelt
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lithuanian: gelti (lt)
• Macedonian: боцнува impf (bocnuva), боцне pf (bocne)
• Malay: sengat
• Maori: kakati, wero
• Norwegian: stikke (no)
• Persian: گزیدن (fa) (gazidan)
• Polish: żądlić (pl) impf, użądlić (pl) pf, kąsać (pl) impf, ukąsić pf
• Portuguese: picar (pt), morder (pt)
• Quechua: kaniy (qu)
• Romanian: înțepa (ro), pișca (ro)
• Russian: жа́лить (ru) impf (žálitʹ), ужа́лить (ru) pf (užálitʹ); куса́ть (ru) impf (kusátʹ), укуси́ть (ru) pf (ukusítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: уба́дати impf, у̀бости pf

  Roman: ubádati (sh) impf, ùbosti (sh) pf

• Slovak: bodnúť pf, pichnúť pf
• Slovene: pičiti (sl) impf
• Spanish: picar (es)
• Swedish: stinga (sv), sticka (sv)
• Tagalog: kinagat
• Telugu: కుట్టు (te) (kuṭṭu)
• Thai: กัด (th) (gàt), ต่อย (th) (dtɔ̀i)
• Ukrainian: жа́лити impf (žályty), ужа́лити pf (užályty), куса́ти impf (kusáty), укуси́ти pf (ukusýty)
• Venetian: sponzer, spunciar, ponzer, ponxer, ponzar, ponxar
• Vietnamese: đốt (vi), chích (vi)
• Volapük: stegülön (vo)
• Walloon: hagnî (wa), piker (wa)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} pickoj (sq)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} steken (nl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} menyengat (id), ^{(please verify)} mengantup
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} piccar, ^{(please verify)} punger

Anagrams

• GTINs, Tings, gnits, tings

---

Middle English

Noun

sting

1. Alternative form of stynge

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From the verb stinge

Noun

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)

References

• “sting” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

---

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From the verb stinge

Noun

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

1. stitch (pain in the side)

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

1. a stitch (in sewing and surgery)

References

• “sting” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

---

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *stangiz; akin to stingan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stinɡ/, [stiŋɡ]

Noun

sting m

1. sting, stinging (of an animal)

Descendants

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

---

Romanian

Verb

sting

1. first-person singular present indicative of stinge
2. first-person singular present subjunctive of stinge
3. third-person plural present indicative of stinge

---

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

sting

1. (deprecated template usage) imperative of stinga.

Anagrams

• tings

---

Westrobothnian

Etymology

From , from . Compare Icelandic, Faroese stinga, Swedish stinga, sticka, stånga, English sting.

Verb

1. To sting, stab, gore.