Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sting” come from?

Sting comes from Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, derived from Proto-Indo-European ste(n)gʰ-.

sting (English): A bump left on the skin after having been stung;...

Definitions

  1. A bump left on the skin after having been stung;...

Ancestry of “sting”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishstingenTo impale or gore with a piercing instrument; To...
2Old Englishstinganto stab; to sting
3Proto-Germanicstinganąto stick out; protrude; to sting
4Proto-Indo-Europeanste(n)gʰ-to stick

Words derived from “sting”

  • stingy
  • stinginess
  • stinger
  • stingray
  • stingless
  • stingeth
  • stingily
  • stingo
  • stinge
  • stingfish
  • unsting
  • stingerless
  • stingest
  • stingbull
  • countersting
  • stingable
  • stingproof
  • unstingy
  • stingre
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ste(n)gʰ- →