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sty

1
[ stahy ]
/ staɪ /
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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.
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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 stigweardsteward; cognate with Old Norse stī,Dutch stijg,German Steige

Other definitions for sty (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) + yeeye), taken to be sty on eye
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sty

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
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