stigma: [16] Greek stígma denoted a ‘mark made on the skin with a sharp implement’, hence a ‘tattoo’ or ‘brand’. It was derived from the Indo- European base *stig- ‘be sharp, pierce’, which also produced English stick, stitch, etc. By the time it arrived in English, via Latin stigma, it has acquired the connotation of a ‘brand of shame’, and it was also used specifically for the marks made on Christ’s hands and feet by the nails of the cross. => stick, stitch
