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REFERENCE

stitch

n. · v.
US //ˈstɪtʃ// UK //stˈɪtʃ// stitch
  1. 1 sewing or knitting (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a single loop of thread or yarn made by a needle.

    a single pass of a needle or a single loop of yarn in sewing, knitting, or crochet.

    Example

    She dropped a stitch while knitting the sweater, so she had to start the row again.

    Example

    The tailor used a tiny, nearly invisible stitch to ensure the hem of the evening gown remained perfectly smooth.
  2. 2 medical repair (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Medicine

    a piece of thread used by a doctor to join the edges of a cut.

    a medical suture used to close a wound or surgical incision.

    Example

    The cut on his forehead was deep, so the doctor had to put in five stitches.

    Example

    After the surgery, the patient was instructed to keep the area dry until the stitches could be safely removed by a nurse.
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  1. 3 pain from exercise (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    a sharp pain in the side of your body, usually from running or laughing too much.

    an acute, localized pain in the side of the abdomen, typically induced by strenuous physical exertion.

    Example

    I had to stop running because I got a painful stitch in my side.

    Example

    He ignored the growing stitch in his side and pushed through the final mile of the marathon to set a personal record.
  2. 4 clothing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    a very small amount of clothing.

    the smallest possible piece of fabric or clothing; almost exclusively used in the negative 'not a stitch'.

    Example

    It was so hot in the house that the baby wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

    Example

    The hikers were caught in a sudden downpour and returned to the cabin without a stitch of dry clothing between them.
  3. 5 to sew (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to join two pieces of cloth together using a needle and thread.

    to join, mend, or decorate fabric by making a series of loops with a needle and thread.

    Example

    My grandmother taught me how to stitch a button onto a shirt.

    Example

    The artisan carefully stitched the leather panels together to create a durable and stylish handbag.
  4. 6 to combine digital media (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Computing

    to join two or more videos or images together into one.

    to combine multiple digital files, such as photographs or video clips, into a single seamless sequence or panorama.

    Example

    She used an app to stitch her holiday photos into a wide panorama.

    Example

    The software allows users to stitch together short clips from different creators to produce a collaborative video response video.
Etymology 1

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).

Etymology 2

From Middle English sticchen, stichen, from Old English stiċċan, stiċċian, from Proto-Germanic stikjaną (“to stab, stick, prick”), influenced by the noun (see above).

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