Pricked or wounded with a sharp point (like a bee's stinger); also means to feel hurt emotionally or to cheat someone.
From Old English 'stingan,' related to Old Norse 'stinga' and German 'Stachel.' The word is ancient, referring to the sharp piercing action. The emotional meaning developed metaphorically from the physical pain.
Honeybees die after they sting because their barbed stinger rips out their abdomen—they're making the ultimate sacrifice to protect the hive! So when a bee stings, it's literally a suicide mission.
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