STIGMA

noun (plural ~ta or ~s) see: stick Date: circa 1593 1. a scar left by a hot iron ; brand , a mark of shame or discredit ; stain , an identifying mark or characteristic, 2. bodily marks or pains resembling the wounds of the crucified Jesus and sometimes accompanying religious ecstasy, petechia , 3. a small spot, scar, or opening on a plant or animal, the usually apical part of the pistil of a flower which receives the pollen grains and on which they germinate, ~l adjective