What’s the plural of “stigma”?
Stigmas and stigmata are both accepted plurals for stigma, which refers to “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person”.
Is stigmas or stigmata plural?
Stigma originally comes from Greek word, and it still retains its original singular and plural noun suffixes. Stigmata, much like dogma/dogmata, adds ‘-ta’ to the end of the word to switch to plural.
Nevertheless, the standard form, which is just to add an ‘s’ or ‘es’, works in this case too. So, for those that prefer to standard pluralization, stigmas; this works just as well. Most importantly, don’t flip flop between forms-stick to one spelling throughout your writing.
What’s the definition of “stigma”?
The word stigma is defined in the dictionary as, “a mark of shame or discredit: stain, bore the stigma of cowardice.”
In botany, the ‘stigma’ refers to “(in a flower) the part of a pistil that receives the pollen during pollination“.
Greek Nouns in English
| singular | plural |
|---|---|
| schema | schemata or schemas |
| stigma | stigmata or stigmas |
| dogma | dogmata or dogmas |
Practice using the verb in different tenses with example sentences to memorize the correct forms.
“Stigma”, used in sentences
1. The stigma of alcoholism makes it difficult to treat.
2. He still suffered the stigma of having been rejected for the army.
3. There is no longer any stigma to being divorced.
4. There is a stigma attached to AIDS that makes most people afraid of those who have the disease.
5. They bring out the issues of stigma.
Examples of stigmas/stigmata used in context
1. Stereotypes and their attendant stigmata are, sadly, resilient.
2. He identified the marks as stigmata and took her experience seriously.
3. Almost all the visited inflorescences had damaged (chewed) stigmas;
4. Parastigmatic glands generally absent, but a single one is sometimes present at the anterior stigmata.
5. There are five stigmata in the style. 3- You mention this as ”stigmata” I disagree.
Origin of the word stigma
From etymonline on stigma:
1590s (earlier stigme, c. 1400), “mark made on skin by burning with a hot iron,” from Latin stigma (plural stigmata), from Greek stigma (genitive stigmatos) “mark of a pointed instrument, puncture, tattoo-mark, brand”.
Read more about nouns
| Types of nouns | What’s the plural of …? |
|---|---|
| plural-only nouns | …moose? |
| mass nouns | …octopus? |
| collective nouns | …cactus? |
| abstract nouns vs. concrete nouns | …analysis? |
| possessive nouns | …curriculum? |
| regular and irregular nouns | …crisis? |
Sources
- “Stigma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stigma. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of stigma.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/stigma. Accessed 15 January, 2023.
Worksheet
What is the plural of ‘stigma’?
What is the plural of ‘plural’?
What is the plural of ‘refer’?
Which is grammatically correct?
What makes a sentence grammatically correct?
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