sty

[ stahy ]

/ staɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sty ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of sty

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

Definition for sty (2 of 2)

sty

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

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for sty

Much more I, who am apt to get too near that ugly 'sty of Epicurus' sometimes!
The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume II|Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Pig-raising is the most popular line, and there is great rivalry between the several "sty proprietors."
Stories of the Ships|Lewis R. Freeman
Then he sat down on the edge of the sty, and looked long and silently at an empty bucket.
Auld Licht Idylls|J. M. Barrie
Sows with litters two or three weeks old should be allowed out of the sty each morning and afternoon for a short time.
The Pig|Sanders Spencer

The poor Friar, who was not able to stand upon his leg, crawled on all-fours out of the sty, crying for mercy as loud as he could.
The Tales Of The Heptameron, Vol. IV. (of V.)|Margaret, Queen Of Navarre

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

Medicine definitions for sty

sty

n. pl. sties

Inflammation of one or more sebaceous glands of an eyelid.hordeolum