Stye
/staɪ/noun
A painful, inflamed swelling, usually caused by infection, on the edge of an eyelid.
Did you know?The eyelid sense is traditionally connected with Old English and Middle English words describing a swelling or something that rises, while the identical word for a pig enclosure comes from a separate Germanic root.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*steig-
“To prick, stick, or rise; a proposed ancestral root connected with upward movement and pointedness.”
Old English
Old English
stīgan
“To ascend or rise; a possible source for the later eyelid-swelling sense.”
Middle English
Middle English
stey
“A swelling or raised spot, associated with the eyelid.”
17th Century
English
stye
“An inflamed swelling on the eyelid; the modern spelling becomes established.”
Modern English
English
stye
“A localized, painful infection or inflammation at the edge of the eyelid.”