“stings” is a form of
sting
/ˈstɪŋ/ noun, verb
Forms stings stinging stung stang
- noun A bump left on the skin after having been stung. “Look at this nasty hornet sting: it's turned blue!”
- noun A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom. “She died from a bee sting.”
- noun A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
- noun A sharp, localized pain primarily on the epidermis. “That plant will give a little sting if you touch it.”
- noun (botany) A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
- noun The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
- noun (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.”
- noun A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
- verb (ambitransitive) To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.
- verb (transitive, of an insect or arachnid) To puncture with the stinger. “A mosquito stung me on the arm.”
- verb (intransitive, sometimes figurative) To hurt, to be in pain (physically or emotionally). “My eyes are stinging from the chopped onions.”
- verb (figurative) To cause harm or pain to. “I thought I could park in front of the hotel, but they stung me for five pounds!”
- noun Storytelling in the context of a tabletop role-playing game, especially one published by White Wolf.
Synonyms
stinger burn sounder smart Dungeon Mastering DMing GMing stinging pang bite insect bite bunco bunco game bunko bunko game con confidence trick confidence game con game gyp hustle flimflam prick stick twinge
Etymology
From Middle English styng, sting, stynge, stenge, from Old English sting, stincg (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stingaz; possibly also from Old English stynġ, from Proto-Germanic *stungiz.
From Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, from Proto-Germanic *stinganą. Compare Swedish and Icelandic stinga.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any sharp organ of offense and defense, especially when connected with a poison gland, and adapted to inflict a wound by piercing; as the caudal sting of a scorpion. The sting of a bee or wasp is a modified ovipositor. The caudal sting, or spine, of a sting ray is a modified dorsal fin ray. The term is sometimes applied to the fang of a serpent. See Illust. of Scorpion.
- noun A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secrets an acrid fluid, as in nettles. The points of these hairs usually break off in the wound, and the acrid fluid is pressed into it.
- verb To pierce or wound with a sting; as, bees will sting an animal that irritates them; the nettles stung his hands.
- verb To pain acutely; as, the conscience is stung with remorse; to bite. "Slander stings the brave." Pope.
Etymology [AS. sting a sting. See Sting, v. t.]
Etymology [AS. stingan; akin to Icel. & Sw. stinga, Dan. stinge, and probably to E. stick, v.t.; cf. Goth. usstiggan to put out, pluck out. Cf. Stick, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sting”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details