Origin and history of *stegh-

"adult male of the deer," especially one at 4 or 5 years, late 12c., stagge, which is probably from Old English stagga "a stag," from Proto-Germanic *stag-, from PIE root *stegh- "to stick, prick, sting," and probably so called for its tines. The Old Norse equivalent was used of male foxes, tomcats, and dragons; and the Germanic root word perhaps originally meant "male animal in its prime."

The adjectival meaning "pertaining to or composed of males only" (as in stag party, attested by 1853) is American English slang from 1837 (in stag dance). Compare bull-dance, slang for one performed by men only (1841); gander (n.) also was used in the same sense. Stag film "pornographic movie" is attested from 1968. The stag beetle (1680s) is so called for its branched mandibles, resembling the antlers of a stag.

Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan "to stab, pierce, or prick with a point" (of weapons, bees, certain plants, etc.), from Proto-Germanic *stingan (source also of Old Norse stinga, Old High German stungen "to prick," Gothic us-stagg "to prick out," Old High German stanga, German stange "pole, perch," German stengel "stalk, stem"). This is perhaps is from PIE *stengh-, nasalized form of the root *stegh- "to stick, prick, sting."

In old use also of serpents, toads, and flies (late 12c.). The sense mostly specialized to stinging insects after 14c. The intransitive sense of "have a stinger, be capable of stinging" is by 1735; that of "be sharply painful" is from 1848. The slang meaning "to cheat, swindle" is from 1812. In Middle English also "have sexual intercourse with" (mid-13c.).

An Old English strong verb, past tense stang, past participle stungen; the past tense later was leveled to stung.