stitch
n. countablen. a single loop of thread used in sewing or to close a wound. It also describes a sharp pain in your side that you sometimes get while running.
n. a single turn or loop of thread or yarn in sewing, knitting, or surgical suturing. Also refers to a sharp, localized pain in the intercostal muscles, typically induced by strenuous exercise.
The doctor put three stitches in my finger to help it heal.
After running for only ten minutes, he had to stop because of a painful stitch in his side.
The surgeon used a continuous stitch to ensure the wound closed evenly, minimizing the risk of infection and reducing the visibility of the eventual scar.
From Middle English stiche, from Old English stiċe (“a prick, puncture, stab, thrust with a pointed implement, pricking sensation, stitch, pain in the side, sting”), from Proto-West Germanic stiki, from Proto-Germanic stikiz (“prick, piercing, stitch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to stab, pierce”). Cognate with Dutch steek (“prick, stitch”), German Stich (“a prick, piercing, stitch”), Old English stician (“to stick, stab, pierce, prick”). More at stick. Via PIE cognate with Czech steh, Polish ścieg, Russian стежо́к (stežók).
From Middle English sticchen, stichen, from Old English stiċċan, stiċċian, from Proto-Germanic stikjaną (“to stab, stick, prick”), influenced by the noun (see above).
Commonly used in the plural when referring to medical procedures; used in the singular with 'a' when referring to exercise-induced pain.