/
ˈstɪgmə/
n.
(pl. stigmas or especially in sense 2 stigmata
/-mətə, -ˈmɑːtə/
)
- a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
-
(stigmata)
(in Christian tradition) marks corresponding to those left on Christ's body by the Crucifixion, said to have been impressed by divine favour on the bodies of St Francis of Assisi and others.
- Medicine a visible sign or characteristic of a disease.
▸a mark or spot on the skin.
- Botany the part of a pistil that receives the pollen during pollination.
Etymology
C16: via L. from Gk stigma ‘a mark made by a pointed instrument, a dot’; rel. to stick1.