A
stinger, or
sting, is a sharp
organ found in various
animals (typically
arthropods) capable of injecting
venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. Technically, a
stinger is the part of an insect or animal that holds a
sting, where a
sting is the pointed organ. In common usage,
stinger is a colloquialism for
sting. A
sting differs from other piercing structures in that it pierces by its own action and injects venom, as opposed to
teeth, which pierce by the force of opposing
jaws. Stinging hairs which actively inject venom on plants such as
stinging nettles are also sometimes known as
stings, but not
stingers.