styng

Middle English

Etymology 1

Probably originally two distinct nouns, though no clear semantic separation can be established:

• Old English sting, from Proto-West Germanic *sting, from Proto-Germanic *stingaz.
• Old English styng, from Proto-West Germanic *stungi, from Proto-Germanic *stungiz, both nouns ultimately related to *stinganą.

Alternative forms

• stenge, sting, stynge
• steng (Kent)
• stunchg (West Midlands)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stinɡ/, /stind͡ʒ/
• IPA^(key): /steːnd͡ʒ/ (Kent)
• IPA^(key): /stynt͡ʃ/ (West Midlands)

Noun

styng (plural stynges)

1. A sting, a sharp pain, especially that caused by a stinger.
2. (rare) A stinger; the point used by an insect to sting.

Descendants

• English: sting
• Scots: sting

References

• “sting, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Verb

styng

1. (Late Middle English or Northern) Alternative form of styngen

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

styng m (definite singular styngen, indefinite plural stynger, definite plural styngene)

1. (pre-1938) alternative form of sting