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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
1before 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
Words nearby sty
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
21610–20; 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. 2022
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
Medical definitions for sty
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.