Stitch

Stitch, stich, n. a pass of a needle and thread, the part of the thread left in the fabric, a single loop or link: the kind of work produced by stitching—buttonhole-stitch, cross-stitch, &c.: the space between two double furrows: a fastening, as of thread or wire, through the back of a book to connect the leaves: an acute pain, a sharp spasmodic pain, esp. in the intercostal muscles: a bit of clothing, a rag.—v.t. to sew so as to show a regular line of stitches: to sew or unite.—v.i. to practise stitching.—ns. Stitch′er; Stitch′ery (Shak.), needle-work; Stitch′ing, the act of one who stitches: needle-work done in such a way that a continuous line of stitches appears on the surface; Stitch′wort, a genus of slender plants, including the chickweed, so called because once believed to cure 'stitch' in the side. [A.S. stice, a prick; Ger. sticken, to embroider; conn. with stick.]