stye

Meaning

A bacterial infection in the eyelash or eyelid.

Synonyms

sty

hordeolum

eye infection

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈstaɪ/

Etymology

First recorded in the 17th century; probably a back-formation from Middle English styanye (first recorded in the 15th century), which in turn comes from Old English stīgend (“a small tumour on the edge of the eyelid, stye”), from the verb stīgan (“to climb, ascend, rise”) + Middle English eie (“eye”). Equivalent to sty + eye.