This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
sty
1[ stahy ]
/ staɪ /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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. 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