sty

Meanings

Plural: sties

Noun

an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid
a pen for swine
A pen or enclosure for swine.
A messy, dirty or debauched place.
A ladder.
An inflammation of the eyelid.

Verb

To place in, or as if in, a sty.
To live in a sty, or any messy or dirty place.
To ascend, rise up, climb.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English sty, from Old English stī, stiġ (“sty, pen, a wooden enclosure; hall”, chiefly in compounds).
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”).

Synonyms

eye infection, hordeolum, hovel, pigpen, pigsty, stye

Scrabble Score: 6

sty is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
sty is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
sty is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 5

sty is a valid Words With Friends word