English word origin

Etymology of sting

From Middle English styng, sting, stynge, stenge, from Old English sting, stincg (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stingaz; possibly also fr

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A bump left on the skin after having been stung. · A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom. · A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack. · A sharp, localized pain primarily on the epidermis.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionstyngenm
Inherited-form mentionstingang
Inherited-form mention*stingazgem-pro
Inherited-form mentionstynġang
Inherited-form mention*stungizgem-pro

This page abbreviates 9 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "styng"
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      "expansion": "Middle English styng"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sting"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sting"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *stingaz"
    },
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      "expansion": "Old English stynġ"
    },
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      "stynge#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "stenge",
      "stenge#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "sting",
      "sting#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "stincg",
      "stincg#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*stingaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/stingaz"
    ],
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  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
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        "A bump left on the skin after having been stung.",
        "A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom.",
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both. · To puncture with the stinger. · To hurt, to be in pain (physically or emotionally). · To cause harm or pain to.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, from Proto-Germanic *stinganą. Compare Swedish and Icelandic stinga.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionstingenenm
Inherited-form mentionstinganang
Inherited-form mention*stinganągem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Old English stingan"
    },
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      "stingen",
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    ],
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    ],
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      "stinga",
      "stinga#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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        "To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.",
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        "To cause harm or pain to."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sting →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c3Rpbmc