See also: stý

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English sty, from Old English stī, stiġ (sty, pen, a wooden enclosure; hall, chiefly in compounds), from Proto-Germanic *stiją. Cognate with German Stiege (wooden crate), dialectal German Steige (hen-coop), Danish sti (sty, enclosure for swine, sheep, hens, etc.), Swedish stia (sty for pigs, geese, etc.), Norwegian sti (flock of sheep), Icelandic stía (a kennel).

Noun

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sty (plural sties or styes)

  1. A pen or enclosure for swine.
  2. (figurative) A messy, dirty or debauched place.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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sty (third-person singular simple present sties, present participle stying, simple past and past participle stied)

  1. (transitive) To place in, or as if in, a sty.
  2. (transitive) To live in a sty, or any messy or dirty place.

Etymology 2

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From Middle English stien, stiȝen, stighen, from Old English stīgan (to go; ascend, mount), from Proto-West Germanic *stīgan, from Proto-Germanic *stīganą, from Proto-Indo-European *steygʰ-. Cognate with Dutch stijgen, German steigen, Danish stige, Norwegian Bokmål stige, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish stiga, Old Norse stíga.

Alternative forms

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Verb

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sty (third-person singular simple present sties, present participle stying, simple past and past participle stied)

  1. (obsolete) To ascend, rise up, climb. [9th–17th c.]
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Translations
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Noun

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sty (plural sties)

  1. (British, dialectal) A ladder.
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Etymology 3

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From Middle English styanye, mistaken as "sty on eye" yet composed of Old English stīġend (sty, literally riser), agent noun from stīgan (to rise) + Middle English (eye).

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Noun

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sty (plural sties)

  1. (pathology) An inflammation of the eyelid.
Translations
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Anagrams

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Middle English

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Etymology 1

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Inherited from Old English stiġ, stī, from Proto-West Germanic *stij, from Proto-Germanic *stiją.

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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sty (plural styes)

  1. A pigsty (pen or set of pens for pigs)
  2. (rare) Any other crude dwelling or abode.
Descendants
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  • English: sty
References
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Etymology 2

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Inherited from Old English stīġ, from Proto-West Germanic *stīgu, from Proto-Germanic *stīgō.

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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sty (plural styes or stiȝen)

  1. A path, track or street.
  2. (figurative) One's chosen pathway or choices in life.
  3. (figurative, rare) A short narrative.
References
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