Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - stigma

 noun  (plural ~ta or ~s)  Etymology: Latin ~t-, ~ mark, brand, from Greek, from stizein to tattoo — more at stick  Date: circa 1593  1.  a. archaic a scar left by a hot iron ; brand  b. a mark of shame or discredit ; stain bore the ~ of cowardice  c. an identifying mark or characteristic; specifically a specific diagnostic sign of a disease  2.  a. ~ta plural bodily marks or pains resembling the wounds of the crucified Jesus and sometimes accompanying religious ecstasy  b. petechia  3.  a. a small spot, scar, or opening on a plant or animal  b. the usually apical part of the pistil of a flower which receives the pollen grains and on which they germinate — see flower illustration  • ~l adjective