sting

Etymology 1

From Middle English stynge, sting, stenge, from Old English sting, stinċġ (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stangiz.

noun

1. A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
   Look at this nasty hornet sting: it's turned blue!
2. A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom.
   She died from a bee sting.
3. A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
4. A sharp, localised pain primarily on the epidermis
   That plant will give a little sting if you touch it.
5. (botany) A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
6. The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
7. (law enforcement) A police operation in which the police pretend to be criminals in order to catch a criminal.
   The criminal gang was caught after a successful sting.
   Shepard: I'm taking you in, Jax. Turian Bodyguard: It's a sting. Bastard set us up. Jax: What the hell are you playing at? 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel
8. A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
9. A brief sequence of music used in films, TV, and video games as a form of scenic punctuation or to identify the broadcasting station.
10. A support for a wind tunnel model which extends parallel to the air flow.
    The balance is mounted externally on top of the wind tunnel test section. A sting connects the balance to the model. 2001, T. J. Mueller, Fixed and Flapping Wing Aerodynamics for Micro Air Vehicle Applications, page 118
11. (figurative) The harmful or painful part of something.
    Just as it appeared Arsenal had taken the sting out of the tie, Johnson produced a moment of outrageous quality, thundering a bullet of a left foot shot out of the blue and into the top left-hand corner of Wojciech Szczesny's net with the Pole grasping at thin air. January 19, 2011, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC
12. A goad; incitement.
13. The concluding point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying.

Etymology 2

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

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive) To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.
   An adder came out of a little heathbush, and it stung a man in the foot.
2. (transitive, of an insect or arachnid) To puncture with the stinger.
   A mosquito stung me on the arm.
3. (intransitive, sometimes figurative) To hurt, to be in pain (physically or emotionally).
   My hand stings after knocking on the door so long.
   Still, it stung when a slightly older acquaintance asked me why I couldn't do any better.
   But Birmingham were clearly stung by some harsh words from manager Alex McLeish at the break and within 15 minutes of the restart the game had an entirely different complexion. January 11, 2011, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC
4. (figurative) To cause harm or pain to.
   I thought I could park in front of the hotel, but they stung me for five pounds!