stimulus 
We went to dine last Thursday with Mr. , a neigh- 
boring clergyman, a haunch of' venison being the tli 1,111- 
IIIK to the invitation. N,i-t,,,-i/ H,,,;HI, in Laily Holland, vi. 
The infinitely complex organizations of commerce have 
grown up under the *ti,niiliix of certain desires existing 
In each of us. //. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 28. 
5. Iii }>lii/.iii>l.. some-thing which evokes some 
functional or trophic reaction in the tissues on 
which it acts. 
Light does not act as a xthnitlu* to the nervous sub- 
stance, either fibres or cells, unless it have an intensity 
which is nearly deadly to that substance. 
O. T. Ladtl, Physiol. Psychology, p. 170. 
Absolute stimulus difference, In pnyehophymet, the ac- 
tual difference in strength between two stimuli. Rela- 
stween two stimuli to their menu. I, 
ulus receptivity, m ptyehovhyiia. the power of appre- 
ciating stimuli, measured by the least intensity of stimulus 
living the greatest conscious effect. stimulus scope, 
in piythophytios, the difference between the measure of 
stimulus receptivity and the stimulus threshold. Stim- 
ulus susceptibility, in peyeAopAytto, the power of per- 
ceiving a stimulus, so that the greater the stimulus sus- 
ceptibility the lower the stimulus threshold. Stimulus 
threshold, in ptyohophysia, the minimum amount of 
stimulus required to produce a conscious effect. 
stincht, <' '. [A var. of stanch^.] To stanch. 
First, the Mood must bee stinched, and howe was that 
done? Breton, Miseries of Mauillia, p. 39. (Dames.) 
stine (still), . A dialectal form of styan. 
Sting 1 (sting), r. ; pret. and pp. stung (pret. for- 
merly stang), ppr. stinging. [< ME. stingen 
(pret. stang, stong, stonge, pp. stuitgen, stongen, 
y-stnugen, y-stonge), < AS. stingan (pret. stang, 
pp. stungen) = Icel. stinga = Sw. stinga = Dan. 
stinge; cf. Goth, us-stiggan, push, push out, = 
L. 'stinguere, quench: see stick*, v.] I. trans. 
It. To pierce; prick; puncture. 
To the hert with a sharpe spere ye hym stonge, 
& with .iii. navies made hym shede his giltles Mode. 
Joseph of Arimathie (E. E. T. S.), p. 38. 
Thei ben y-sewed with whijt silk, . . . 
\-stongen with stiches. 
Piers Plowman's Crede (E. E. T. S.), 1. 553. 
2f. To impale. 
He stingeth him upon his speres orde. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 645. 
3. To prick severely; give acute pain to by 
cuts under rhclin-ni anil Kilr. (.-) The curved or claw-like 
telson of the tail of a scorpion, inflicting a serious poisoned 
wound. See cuts under xrwyunn anil .SVv/ry;iiVa. (/"June 
of the feet or claws of centlpeds, which, in the case o'f some 
of the larger Mnd^attroplmlcoantrlat intlict painful ami 
dangerous wounds, (g) The poison-fang or venom-tooth of 
a nocuous serpent : also, in popular misapprehension, the 
harmless soft forked tongue of any serpent. See cuts under 
CrofaltM and snake, (k) A tin-spine of some fishes, capable 
of wounding. In a few cases such spines are connected 
with a venom-gland whence poison is injected ; in others, 
as the tail spines of sting-rays, the large bony sting, sev- 
eral inches long and sometimes jagged, is smeared with a 
substance which may cause a wound to fester. See cuts 
under siune-mi, .*tin : / ray. (i) An urticating organ, or such 
organs collectively, of the jellyflshes, sea-nettles, or other 
coclenterates. Sec cut under j 
stingy 
The rtitujitvj lash of wit. 
II. If. //.,/,,>. Opening of Fifth Ave. Theatre, N. V., |s7:i. 
Stinging ant, an ant of the family Miirmiriil/r. Sting- 
ing Dug, the blood-sucking com -m.-, <- *,in- 
itnxwiiix, a ennmion bug of the family /'- '/'" '"'.'/, wliirb 
sucks tin 1 lilo<xl i.f man ami 'timn'stir animals, and in- 
flicts a painful wound. See cut under Cm 
Stinging caterpillar, the larva of any one of certain 
Iiombyem moths in the I nile.l states, as S<it<n'n''t 
rui in, l;',n],,: f,r< . :li, ,>"'>' 
r ^ted with a gland which se- 
cretes an acrid or poisonous fluid, which, when 
introduced under the skin, produces a sting- 
ing pain. For plants armed with such stings, 
see cowlmgc, nettle*- (with cut), nt-ttle-trre, 2, 
and tread-softly. 3. The fine taper of a dog's 
tail. Sportsman's Gazetteer. 4. The operation 
or effect of a sting; the act of stinging; the 
usually poisoned punctured wound made by a 
sting; also, the pain or smart of such a wound. 
Their softest touch as smart as lizards' stings! 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iii. 2. S25. 
5. Anything, or that in anything, which gives 
acute pain, or constitutes the principal pain; 
also, anything which goads to action : as, the 
: the stings of remorse ; the stings 
The sting of death is sin. i Cor. XT. 56. 
Slander, 
Whose sting is sharper than the sword's. 
Shak., W. T., ii. 8. 86. 
A bitter jest leaves a sting behind it. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel., To the Reader, p. 77. 
6. Mental pain inflicted, as by a biting or cut- 
ting remark or sarcasm ; hence, the point of an 
epigram. 
There is nothing harder to forgive than the sting of an 
epigram. 0. W. Holmes, The Atlantic, LXVI. 667. 
7. A stimulus, irritation, or incitement; a net- 
tling or goading; an impulse. 
The wanton stintis and 
Stinging Caterpillar, or StuK-caterpillar. and Moth o 
operc Hlaris, both natural size. 
Limacodes scapha, and Lagoa opereularis, which are pro- 
vided with stinging spines. Stinging hair. See Aatri 
and stinging spine. Stinging nettle. See nettle^, 1. 
Stinging spine, in entom., one of the modified bristles 
of any stinging caterpillar, which are sharp and have an 
urticating effect. See cuts under hag-moth and saddleback. 
Stinging tree. Same as nettle-tree, 2. 
stinging-bush (sting'ing-biish), N. Same as 
(sting'ing-sel), M. The thread- 
cell or lasso-cell with which any coslenterate, 
as a sea-nettle, urticates. See nematophore, and 
cuts under cnida and nematocyst. 
stingingly (sting'ing-li), adv. With stinging 
effect. 
stingless (sting'les), a. [< sting*- + -less.] Hav- 
ing no sting, as an insect. Shak., J. C., v. 1. 35. 
-sa - 
pon supplied with acrid or poisonous fluid, as a 
fang or sting, with which certain animals and 
plants are furnished; bite; urticate: as, to be 
stung by a bee, a scorpion, or a nettle, or by a 
serpent or a sea-nettle. 
What, wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice? 
Shak., M. of V., iv. 1. 69. 
I often have been stung too with curst bees. 
B. Jonson, Sad Shepherd, ii. 2. 
4. To pain acutely, as if with a sting; goad: 
as, a conscience stung with remorse. 
Unhappy Psyche, stung by these reproaches, 
Profoundly feels the wound dive in her heart. 
J. Beaumont, Psyche, v. 14. 
5. To stimulate; goad. 
She was trying to task herself up to her duty. At last 
she stung herself into its performance by a suspicion. 
Mrs. Oaskell, North and South, xxxviii. 
II. iutrans. 1. To have a sting; be capable 
of wounding with a sting; use the sting: liter- 
ally or figuratively: as, hoi-nets sting ; epigrams 
often sting ; a stinging blow. 
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an 
adder. Prov. xxiii. 32. 
2. To give pain or smart; be sharply painful; 
smart : as, the wound stung for an hour. 
Under the dust, beneath the grass, 
Deep in dim death, where no thought stings. 
A. C. Swinburne, Felise. 
sting 1 (sting), H. [=Icel. stingi, a pin, a stitch 
in the side, = Sw. sting, a sting (in sense 4), = 
Dan. sting, stitch ; from the verb.] 1. A sharp- 
pointed organ of certain insects and other ani- 
mals, capable of inflicting by puncture a pain- 
ful wound. 
I bring no tales nor flatteries ; in my tongue, sir, 
I carry no fork'd stings. Fletcher, Loyal Subject, ii. 1. 
In zoril., specifically (a) The modified ovipositor of the 
females of certain insects, as bees, wasps, hornets, and 
many other Hymenoptera; an aculeus; a terebra. This 
weapon is generally so constructed as to inflict a poisoned 
as well as punctured wound, which may become inflamed 
and very painful or even dangerous ; an irritating fluid is 
injected through the tubular sting when the thrust is 
given. See cut under Hymenoptfm. (6) The mouth-parts 
of various insects which are formed for piercing and suck- 
ing, as in the mosquito and other gnats or midges, gad- 
flies, fleas, bedbugs, etc. In these cases the wound is often 
poisoned. See cuts under gnat and mosquito, (c) A sting- 
ing hair or spine of the larvse of various moths, or such 
organs collectively. See cuts under hag-moth, saddleback, 
and stinging, (d) The falces of spiders, with which these 
creatures bite in some cases, as of the katipo or malmi- 
gnatte, inflicting a very serious or even fatal wound. See 
Exserted sting. See exserted. 
sting 2 (sting), n. [Alsosteing; a var. of slang*.'] 
If. A pole. 2f. A pike; a spear. 3. An in- 
strument for thatching. 4. The mast of a 
vessel. [Prov. Eng. or Scotch in all uses.] 
sting-and-ling (sting'and-ling'), adv. [Lit. 
pole and line; < sting 2 + and + ling, So. var. 
of line 2 .} Entirely; completely; with every- 
thing ; hence, by force. [Scotch.] 
Unless he had been brought there sting and ling. 
Scott, Antiquary, xliv. 
Stingaree (sting'ga-re), ii. [A corrupt form of 
sting-ray. "] See sting-ray. 
sting-bull (sting'bul), . The greater weever, 
or sting-fish, TracMnns draco. See Trachinus 
and weever. Also called otter-fish. 
stinger (sting'er), n. [< sting* + -cr 1 .] One 
who or that which stings, vexes, or gives acute 
pain. 
That malice 
Wears no dead flesh about it, 'tis a stinger. 
Middleton, More Dissemblers Besides Women, iii. 2. 
(a) An animal or a plant that stings. 
The Mutilla being a well-armed insect, and a severe 
stinger. E. D. Cope, Origin of the Fittest, p. 212. 
(6) The sting of an insect, (c) A biting or cutting remark. 
[Colloq.] (d) A smart, telling blow. [Colloq.J 
Rooke, . . . rushing at him incautiously, received a 
stinger that staggered him and nearly closed his right eye. 
C. Reade, Hard Cash, xliii. 
Sting-fish (sting'fish), n. 1. Same as sting-bull. 
See cut under Trachinus. 2. The sea-scorpion, 
CottHx scorjiiits, a fish of the family Cottidee. 
stingily (stin'ji-li), adr. In a stingy manner ; 
with mean niggardliness ; in a niggardly man- 
ner. 
Stinginess (stin'ji-nes), . The state or quality 
of being stingy; extreme avarice; niggardli- 
ness; miserliness. 
Stinging (sting'ing), p. a. 1. That uses a sting; 
furnished with a sting or stinging organs of any 
sort; urticating: as, a stinging insect or sea- 
nettle. 2. In hot., noting a plant furnished 
with stinging hairs. See sting*, 2. 3. That 
pierces or wounds as with a sting; that causes 
acute pain, irritation, or the like; keen; sharp; 
pungent; telling: as, a stinging tongue ; suiting- 
ing rebuke or remark. 
He wrapped her warm in his seaman's coat, 
Against the stinging blast. 
Longfellow, Wreck of the Hesperus. 
Sting-moth (sting'moth), w. The Australian 
Doratifera vulnerans, whose larva is capable of 
inflicting a stinging wound, 
stingo (sting' go), n. [With a simulated It. 
or bp. or L. termination, < sting*: in allusion 
to its sharp taste.] Strong malt liquor. [Col- 
loq.] 
Come, let 's in and drink a cup of stingo. 
Randolph, Hey for Honesty, II. 6. 
Sting-ray (sting'ra), w. [Also, corruptly, stii/i/n- 
ree, stingoree ; < sting* + ray 2 . ] A batoid fish of 
the family Trygonidse, as Trygon (or Dasybatis) 
pastinaca, having a 
long, smooth, flexi- 
ble, lash-like tail 
armed near the base 
with a bony spine 
several inches long, 
sharp at the point, 
and serrated along 
the sides. It is capa- 
ble of Inflicting a severe 
and very painful wound, 
which appears to be poi- 
soned by the slime with 
which the sting is cov- 
ered. There are many 
species of sting-rays, in 
some of which there are 
two or three spines bun- 
dled together. The Brit- 
ish species above named 
is locally known as fire- 
Jlare or fiery-flare. The 
commonest sting-ray of 
the North Atlantic coast 
of the United States is T. 
centrura, locally known 
as clam cracker, and cor- 
ruptly called stingaree. 
T. sabina is a similar southern species. The name ex- 
tends to any ray with a tail-spine. See Myliobatida (a). 
Stingtail (sting'tal), n. A sting-ray. 
Sting-Winkle (sting'wing'kl), H. The hedge- 
hog-murex, Murex erinticeus or enropspus .* HO 
called by fishermen because it bores holes in 
other shell-fish, as if stinging them. 
stingy 1 (sting'i), a. [< sting* + -y*.] Sting- 
ing; piercing, as the wind; sharp, as a criti- 
cism. [Colloq. or prov. Eng.] 
Stingy'- (stin'ji), a. [A dialectal (assibilated) 
form and deflected use of stingy*.] 1. Ill-tem- 
pered. HaHhci'll. [Prov. Eng.] 2. Meanly 
avaricious ; extremely close-fisted and covet- 
ous; niggardly: as, a stingy fellow. 
Southern Sting-ray ( I'rygcn sittii- 
ia). (From Report of U. s. Fish 
