Word: stick Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- Proto-Indo-European *stignéh₂- Proto-Germanic *stikkōną Proto-West Germanic *stikkōn Old English stician Middle English stiken English stick From Middle English stiken (“to stick, pierce, stab, remain embedded, be fastened”), from Old English stician (“to pierce, stab, remain embedded, be fastened”), from Proto-West Germanic *stikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *stikkōną (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tig-, *(s)teyg- (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”). See also the related Proto-Germanic *stikaną, whence West Frisian stekke, Low German steken, Dutch steken, German stechen; compare also Danish stikke, Swedish sticka. Cognate with the first etymology (same PIE root, different paths through Germanic and Old English), to stitch, and to etiquette, via French étiquette – see there for further discussion. Pronunciation: /stɪk/ 1. A thrust with a pointed instrument; a stab; an instance of sticking (pricking or piercing). Labels: countable Example: […]; but let me tell you, my brave boy, that a stick with a sword hurts worse than a prick with a needle. Example: What if Veronica Prego was lying about who drew the blood and it was her own carelessness, not Joyce Fogel's, which caused the needle stick? 2. An instance of piercing someone with a needle, e.g. to draw blood or start an IV. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Most phlebotomists (those who do the actual venipuncture) seldom acknowledge a bad stick in front of a donor, especially if the donor is inexperienced and the vein is not a particularly trick one to reach. Rather than admit to blowing an easy stick, the phlebotomist may say or do things to indicate that nothing is wrong or may even place the blame on someone else, usually the donor. Example: Also, for outpatient procedures, placing a central line (due to a difficult stick) because you don't want to place an IV in the foot may be overkill, and cumbersome for ambulating patients. Bringing in the "big guns”: You may need to use an ultrasound machine when you anticipate a difficult stick […] 3. A person whom one is piercing with a needle to draw blood or start an IV (especially in the context of how difficult or easy this is). Labels: colloquial, countable, uncountable Example: I was called to start an IV on a “difficult stick.” (Notice the term we so commonly use to describe a human being who is difficult to hook up to an IV.) Example: […] the patient is a 'difficult stick' (that is, difficult to draw blood from) and as such will likely have to endure multiple painful attempts beyond the first blood draw, to obtain the culture; […] 4. The tendency to stick (remain stuck), stickiness. Labels: uncountable 5. The tendency to stick (remain stuck), stickiness. Labels: countable, uncountable 6. That which sticks (remains attached to another surface). Labels: uncountable 7. That which sticks (remains attached to another surface). Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Problem: A lot of stick and a lack of energy on the forward stroke. 8. One who sticks at something; one who persists. Labels: countable, informal, rare Example: There had been a reference to the language. "I often wished that I was a better stick at it," said Tulloch. "I'd picked up a bit in Bombay and of course I threw myself into it when Fraser got me the post. […]"