sty

1
[ stahy ]
/ staɪ /

noun, plural sties.

a pen or enclosure for swine; pigpen.
any filthy place or abode.
a place of bestial debauchery.

verb (used with object), stied, sty·ing.

to keep or lodge in or as if in a sty.

verb (used without object), stied, sty·ing.

to live in or as if in a sty.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of sty

1
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

Words nearby sty

stuttgart disease, stutz, stuyvesant, stuyvesant, peter, stv, sty, stye, stygian, styl-, stylar, stylate

Definition for sties (2 of 2)

sty2

or stye

[ stahy ]
/ staɪ /

noun, plural sties. Ophthalmology.

a circumscribed abscess caused by bacterial infection of the glands on the edge of the eyelid; hordeolum.

Origin of sty

2
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 Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to sties

pen, pigpen, hole, pigsty, dump, shack, den, hovel, hordeolum

Example sentences from the Web for sties

British Dictionary definitions for sties

sty
/ (staɪ) /

noun plural sties

a pen in which pigs are housed and fed
any filthy or corrupt place

verb sties, stying or stied

to enclose or be enclosed in a sty

Word Origin for sty

Old English stig; related to Old Norse stīa pen, fold, Old High German stīga, Middle Dutch stije
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for sties

sty

n. pl. sties

Inflammation of one or more sebaceous glands of an eyelid.hordeolum
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.