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noun
1.
a pen or enclosure for swine; pigpen.
2.
any filthy place or abode.
3.
a place of bestial debauchery.
verb (used with object)
4.
to keep or lodge in or as if in a sty.
verb (used without object)
5.
to live in or as if in a sty.
Origin:
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English *stī in stī-fearh sty-pig; probably identical with stig- in stigweard steward; cognate with Old Norse stī, Dutch stijg, German Steige
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English *stī in stī-fearh sty-pig; probably identical with stig- in stigweard steward; cognate with Old Norse stī, Dutch stijg, German Steige
00:10
Sty
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun, plural sties. Ophthalmology.
a circumscribed abscess caused by bacterial infection of the glands on the edge of the eyelid; hordeolum.
Also, stye.
Origin:
1610–20; by false division of Middle English styanye sty (styan (Old English stīgend sty, literally, rising) + ye eye), taken to be sty on eye
1610–20; by false division of Middle English styanye sty (styan (Old English stīgend sty, literally, rising) + ye eye), taken to be sty on eye
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To sty
Collins
World English Dictionary
sty (staɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl sties | |
| 1. | a pen in which pigs are housed and fed |
| 2. | any filthy or corrupt place |
| —vb , sties, sties, stying, stied | |
| 3. | to enclose or be enclosed in a sty |
| [Old English stig; related to Old Norse stīa pen, fold, Old High German stīga, Middle Dutch stije] | |
| stye or sty (staɪ) | |
| —n , pl styes, sties | |
| technical name hordeolum inflammation of a sebaceous gland of the eyelid, usually caused by bacteria | |
| [C15 styanye (mistakenly taken as sty on eye), from Old English stīgend rising, hence swelling, stye + ye eye] | |
| sty or sty | |
| —n | |
| [C15 styanye (mistakenly taken as sty on eye), from Old English stīgend rising, hence swelling, stye + ye eye] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sty
"pen for pigs," O.E. sti, stig "hall, pen" (in sti-fearh), from P.Gmc. *stijan (cf. O.N. stia "sty, kennel," O.H.G. stiga "pen for small cattle").
sty
"inflamed swelling in the eyelid," 1617, probably a back-formation from M.E. styany (as though sty on eye), c.1440, from O.E. stigend "sty," lit. "riser," from prp. of stigan "go up, rise," from P.Gmc. *stig- (see stair).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
sty or stye (stī)
n. pl. sties or styes (stīz)
Inflammation of one or more sebaceous glands of an eyelid. Also called hordeolum.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
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