sting
Definitions
To pierce or wound with a sharp point, as an insect or plant does, causing sharp pain.
（昆虫、植物）蜇，刺
To cause a sharp smarting pain or emotional hurt.
（使）刺痛；伤害（感情）
A wound or sharp pain from being stung; an insect's stinging organ.
蜇伤，刺痛；螫针
A cleverly planned operation to catch wrongdoers.
钓鱼执法行动，诱捕行动
Root Breakdown
Native Englishsting is a native English word from Germanic stingan, not a Latin borrowing — but it traces to the same prehistoric root *steig- ('to prick') as Latin stinguere. It keeps the most literal sense of the whole family: to jab with a sharp point. From the physical jab come the figurative ones: a remark that stings, and a 'sting' operation that catches someone off guard.
Root stinct still carries 42 more wordsWhy It Means This
Although sting sits in the stinct family, it didn't come through Latin — it's a Germanic cousin that walked into English by a different door. That's why it looks and feels so plain compared to distinguish or extinguish. It holds the family's oldest, most physical meaning: the literal prick of a bee or a nettle, then the sharp emotional version (stung by criticism), and finally the slang 'sting' for a setup that nabs a target.
Common Collocations
- 1.bee sting蜜蜂蜇伤
- 2.sting of betrayal被背叛的刺痛
- 3.sting operation诱捕行动
- 4.take the sting out of缓和……的刺痛
- 5.stinging pain刺痛
Example Sentences
- 1.
A wasp stung him on the neck while he was gardening.
- 2.
Her sharp words stung more than she intended.
- 3.
Police arrested the dealers in a carefully planned sting.