Sting

How to spell sting

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce sting

What does sting mean?

1. verbTo wound or cause sharp pain with a pointed part, or to produce a sudden burning sensation.
2. nounA sharp wound, burning sensation, or the pointed organ an insect uses to pierce.

Sting in a sentence

• verb

  A wasp can sting you more than once.

• noun

  The sting of the nettle left a red mark on her arm.

• verb

  The antiseptic will sting for a moment when it touches the cut.

• noun

  A bee leaves its sting behind in the skin.

Where does sting come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English word that comes straight from the Old English verb stingan, meaning to pierce, prick, or stab. It belongs to a wide Germanic family and is related to Old Norse stinga, also meaning to thrust or prick, which is why the sense has always centred on a sharp, sudden jab. The original meaning was very physical, the action of a thorn, spear, or pointed insect breaking the skin, and from there it broadened to cover the burning pain that follows and, much later, the figurative pain of a sharp remark. The vowel has shifted over the centuries, but the spelling has stayed reassuringly simple, with no silent letters and the hard -ng ending that English keeps in close relatives such as sing and ring. Because it is so old and so concrete, it has never needed borrowing or reshaping from another language.

How the word is built

• sting (from Old English stingan: to pierce, prick); a single root word with no prefix or suffix