n., pl., stig·ma·ta (stĭg-mä'tə, -măt'ə, stĭg'mə-), or stig·mas.
- A mark or token of infamy, disgrace, or reproach: "Party affiliation has never been more casual . . . The stigmata of decay are everywhere" (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.). See synonyms at stain.
- A small mark; a scar or birthmark.
- Medicine. A mark or characteristic indicative of a history of a disease or abnormality.
- Psychology. A mark or spot on the skin that bleeds as a symptom of hysteria.
- stigmata Bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain corresponding in location to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, usually occurring during states of religious ecstasy or hysteria.
- Biology. A small mark, spot, or pore, such as the respiratory spiracle of an insect or an eyespot in certain algae.
- Botany. The receptive apex of the pistil of a flower, on which pollen is deposited at pollination.
- Archaic. A mark burned into the skin of a criminal or slave; a brand.
[Middle English stigme, brand, from Latin stigma, stigmat-, tattoo indicating slave or criminal status, from Greek, tattoo mark, from stizein, stig-, to prick.]
stigmal stig'mal adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
