stigmata

Noun

stigma (plural stigmata or stigmas)

1. An indication of infamy or disgrace.
   • But to have as an enforced dining companion a man who was probably a Papist, certainly a rake, and bore the stigma of cowardice, was anathema.2023 September 8, David Donachie, A Shred of Honour: A Markham of the Marines Novel, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 2
   1. (historical) A permanent identity mark branded, cut or tattooed onto the skin, typically given to slaves, criminals and traitors.
   2. (figuratively) A negative and often unfair attitude (held by a group or society, to something).
      • Yet, because of the stigma around nursing home placement, it is hard to find advocates from among the natural advocacy groups the families. You don't see families organized around long-term care as you do around specific diseases.1982, Journal of Gerontological Nursing
   3. (chiefly in the plural stigmata) A mark on the body corresponding to one of the wounds of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and sometimes reported to bleed periodically.
   4. (figuratively, poetic, rare) An expression or behaviour revealing one's hidden feelings.
      • Bradly scowled - the stigmata of alarm. What ultimate threat to his peace and privacy did this dropping in by young Podson imply?1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 65
2. A scar or birthmark.

See all 10 meanings of stigma