Definition

Noun (plural, often used with a singular verb in religious contexts): 1. Supernatural bodily marks or wounds: Marks, sores, or sensations of pain that correspond to and resemble the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ (on the hands, feet, side, and sometimes the forehead from the crown of thorns). These are reported in some Christian mysticism as a divine gift or sign of intense spiritual union with Christ's suffering. 2. (Singular: stigma) A mark of disgrace or infamy: While the plural form 'stigmata' is almost exclusively used for the religious phenomenon, it is the plural of 'stigma,' which broadly means a mark of shame or discredit.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Religious context):
  • The nun was said to bear the stigmata, with wounds on her hands that bled on Good Friday.
  • Reports of stigmata have been documented in the lives of several Catholic saints.
  • The investigation focused on whether the stigmata were of supernatural origin.

Advanced Usage

• "To receive/bear the stigmata": This is the standard phrasing to describe the phenomenon where a person manifests these wounds.
  • The mystic was believed to have received the stigmata during prayer.
• The term is almost always used in its plural form ('stigmata') when referring to the religious wounds. The singular 'stigma' is used for its other meanings (social disgrace, part of a flower).

Variants and Related Words

• Stigma (noun, singular):
  • A mark of shame or discredit.

    • There is still a social stigma attached to mental illness.
  • (Botany) The part of a pistil that receives pollen.

    • The pollen grain landed on the stigma of the flower.
• Stigmatic (adjective): Relating to or having the nature of a stigma or stigmata.
  • She was a stigmatic figure in the community. (social disgrace)
  • He experienced stigmatic pains. (religious wounds)
• Stigmatize (verb): To describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.
  • The policy unfairly stigmatizes people in poverty.

Synonyms

• (For the religious meaning): Holy wounds, crucifixion marks.
• (For the 'stigma' meaning): Disgrace, shame, blot, stain, blemish.

Notes on Different Meanings

It is crucial to distinguish between the primary uses: 1. Stigmata (plural noun): Specifically and almost exclusively refers to the religious phenomenon of Christ-like wounds. This is a specialized term. 2. Stigma (singular noun): Has broad secular applications in society (a mark of disgrace) and science (botany, medicine, zoology). 'Stigmata' is simply the plural form of 'stigma,' but in practice, 'stigmas' is more common for the secular plural (e.g., social stigmas), reserving 'stigmata' for the religious context.

Noun

1. marks resembling the wounds on the crucified body of Christ