a thin piece of wood broken or cut from a tree, usually long and narrow
The boy picked up a stick and drew in the sand.
Please throw that stick for the dog to fetch.
✦ Old English sticca “rod, twig,” from Proto-Germanic *stikkon.
to attach or stay attached to something so that it does not fall off
The label wouldn't stick to the wet bottle.
Please stick the stamp on the envelope.
✦ Old English stician “to pierce, remain fixed,” related to noun sense.
to push or put something sharp or narrow into something else
Be careful not to stick your finger with the needle.
The doctor will stick the thermometer under your tongue.
✦ Same Germanic root as other senses, with early meaning “to pierce.”
a small portable device that stores digital data and plugs into a computer’s USB port
She plugged her memory stick into the computer to print the file.
The teacher collected each student's USB stick after the presentation.
✦ From earlier sense of slender object; applied to USB devices in the late 1990s.
the long wooden or metal handle of a broom
The old broomstick snapped as he swept the garage floor.
With a fresh broomstick, the janitor finished cleaning the hallway quickly.
in stories, a broom that a witch rides through the air
The children dressed as witches, each carrying a tiny broomstick for the Halloween parade.
According to the legend, the witch rode her broomstick across the moonlit sky.
an object with a holder and base, made of metal, wood, glass, or another material, that supports and displays a candle
Grandma placed an ornate candlestick on the dinner table, and its soft light filled the room.
During the power outage, we searched the cupboard for a candlestick.
✦ Old English “candelsticca,” from “candel” (candle) + “sticca” (stick), originally referring to a wooden spike on which a candle was stuck.
in finance, a rectangular bar with thin lines (“wicks”) on a price chart that shows a single period’s opening, closing, highest, and lowest prices
The trader pointed to a tall green candlestick that showed the stock had surged that morning.
On a weekly chart, each candlestick summarizes five days of price moves.
✦ The use in technical analysis comes from the visual similarity of the price bar—with a body and wicks—to a traditional wax candlestick.
one of a pair of thin, usually wooden or bamboo sticks used as eating utensils, especially in East Asian countries
Li deftly lifted the noodles with his chopsticks.
At the restaurant, the waiter gave each guest a pair of wooden chopsticks.
✦ mid-19th century: from Chinese Pidgin English ‘chop chop’ meaning ‘quickly’ + ‘stick’, reflecting the speed of eating with them.
