different between jab vs sting

English

Etymology

Originally a Scottish (unclear if Scots or Scottish English) form of English job (“peck, poke, thrust”), from Middle English jobben.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?æb/
• Rhymes: -æb

Noun

jab (plural jabs)

1. A quick stab or blow; a poking or thrusting motion.
   • 1952, Bernard Malamud, The Natural, Chapter 9,

     He tore in for the ball, make a running jab for it and held it.

2. (boxing) A short straight punch.
3. (Britain) A medical hypodermic injection (vaccination or inoculation)

   Our dog was exposed to rabies, so the whole family went to a clinic to get our jabs.

4. (Britain, Australia) A vaccination, whether or not delivered via conventional injection.
5. (US, figuratively) A mild verbal insult.

Derived terms

• jabby

Translations

Verb

jab (third-person singular simple present jabs, present participle jabbing, simple past and past participle jabbed)

1. To poke or thrust abruptly, or to make such a motion.
2. To deliver a quick punch.
3. (slang, Britain) To give someone an injection

Translations

References

Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “jab”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from English job.

Noun

jab m (genitive singular jab, nominative plural jabanna)

1. job, piece of work
2. post, employment

Declension

Derived terms

• jabaire m (“(cattle-)jobber”)

References

• "jab" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English jab.

Noun

jab m (invariable)

1. jab (boxing punch)

Spanish

Noun

jab m (plural jabs)

1. (boxing) jab

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st??/
• Rhymes: -??

Etymology 1

From Middle English stynge, sting, stenge, from Old English sting, stin?? (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stangiz.

Noun

sting (plural stings)

1. A bump left on the skin after having been stung.

2. A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom.

3. A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.

   Synonym: stinger

4. A sharp, localised pain primarily on the epidermis

5. (botany) A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
6. The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
7. (law enforcement) A police operation in which the police pretend to be criminals in order to catch a criminal.

8. A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
9. A brief sequence of music used in films, TV, and video games as a form of scenic punctuation or to identify the broadcasting station.
10. A support for a wind tunnel model which extends parallel to the air flow.
11. (figuratively) The harmful or painful part of something.
12. A goad; incitement.
    • 1609, William Shakespeare, A Lover's Complaint
13. The concluding point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying.

Synonyms

• (pointed portion of an insect or arachnid): stinger

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, from Proto-Germanic *stingan?. Compare Swedish and Icelandic stinga.

Verb

sting (third-person singular simple present stings, present participle stinging, simple past and past participle stung or (rare, dialectal) stang)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.

2. (transitive, of an insect or arachnid) To puncture with the stinger.
3. (intransitive, sometimes figurative) To hurt, to be in pain (physically or emotionally).
4. (figuratively) To cause harm or pain to.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• GTINs, Tings, gnits, tings

Middle English

Noun

sting

1. Alternative form of stynge

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From the verb stinge

Noun

sting n (definite singular stinget, indefinite plural sting, definite plural stinga or stingene)

1. a stitch (in sewing and surgery)
2. stitch (pain in the side)

References

• “sting” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From the verb stinge

Noun

sting m (definite singular stingen, indefinite plural stingar or stinger, definite plural stingane or stingene)

1. stitch (pain in the side)

sting n (definite singular stinget, indefinite plural sting, definite plural stinga)

1. a stitch (in sewing and surgery)

References

• “sting” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *stangiz; akin to stingan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stin?/, [sti??]

Noun

sting m

1. sting, stinging (of an animal)

Descendants

• Middle English: stynge, stenge, sting, steng
  • English: sting
  • Scots: sting

Romanian

Verb

sting

1. first-person singular present indicative of stinge
2. first-person singular present subjunctive of stinge
3. third-person plural present indicative of stinge

Swedish

Pronunciation

Verb

sting

1. imperative of stinga.

Anagrams

• tings

Westrobothnian

Etymology

From Old Norse stinga, from Proto-Germanic *stingan?. Compare Icelandic, Faroese stinga, Swedish stinga, sticka, stånga, English sting.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²st(e)i??/

  Rhymes: -ì??

Verb

sting, stikk (present stikk, preterite stang or stakk, plural ståkk, supine ståkkä, past participle stongän or ståkkä)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To sting, stab, gore.

Derived terms

• naut-stongän, naut-ståkkä
• mark-stongen

Related terms

• stang
• stöing