# hordeolum

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. stye, sty. An infection of a sebaceous gland of the eyelid. This is distinguished from a chalazion, which is not infected, but a cyst formed from an impacted meibomian gland of the eyelid.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin hordeolus, diminutive from hordeum (“barley”) + -olus, referring to its resemblance to a grain of barley in appearance and size.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hordeolum