You searched for: “stigmata
stigma (s) (noun), stigmata (pl)
1. The shame or disgrace attached to something regarded as socially unacceptable: When a person receives welfare, sometimes it is attached with a social stigma as being not good enough to be associated with by other people.
2. A mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach; such as, on one's reputation: Harry's character carried the stigma of having been an alcoholic even after he quit drinking and never touched it again.
3. In medicine, a mark on the skin indicating a medical condition; for example, a mark or characteristic indicative of a history of a disease or abnormality: June had stigmas or lesions on her arms showing that she had had severe illnesses when she was a child.
4. In psychology, a mark, or spot, on the skin that bleeds as a symptom of hysteria: In the book that Rebecca was reading, the sister of the main character had a stigma on her right hand that would open with blood gushing out when she was in a delirium.
5. In zoology, a colored mark or spot found on some protozoans and invertebrates: In Jane’s biology class she learned that butterflies, and other lepidopterans, had something like a speck which resembled an eye and was called a stigma.
6. Etymology: a mark burned into the skin of a slave; a brand that identifies ownership. It was also used to identify a criminal.

The Greek element stigma denoted a "mark made on the skin with a sharp implement"; hence, a "tattoo" or a "scar".

By the time the term stigma arrived in English, via Latin, it had acquired the connotation of a "brand of shame"; and it was also used specifically to indicate the specific injuries made on Christ's hands and feet by the nails of the cross.

A mark of disgrace or shame on a person's character.
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stigmata (stig MAH tuh) (pl) (noun)
1. A reference to the marks on the hands and feet resembling the wounds from Jesus Christ's crucifixion: The stigmata are the bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain corresponding in the location of the wounds that Jesus suffered which have been known to occur during conditions of religious ecstasy or hysteria.
2. In medicine, a mark or a characteristic indication of a former disease or abnormality.
3. Historically, marks that were burned into the skins of criminals or slaves: In the past, stigmata were brands to indicate who owned the enslaved people or to identify those who were convicted of illegal actions.
This entry is located in the following unit: stigma- (page 1)
Word Entries containing the term: “stigmata
professional stigmata (pl) (noun) (not a singular)
Marks, or blemishes, that are made on the surface of the body: The professional stigmata are results of a person's occupation and they include callosities (areas of the skin that are thick or hard from continual pressure or friction), scars, bursae (fluid-filled sacs located between movable parts of the body; especially, at the joints), tattoo marks, deformities of the nails and teeth, and color changes of the skin and hair.
This entry is located in the following unit: stigma- (page 1)