smarting
noun
[ ˈsmɑːtɪŋ ]
• the fact or sensation of feeling a sharp stinging pain.
• "ammonia can cause smarting of the eyes and breathing difficulties"
smarting
adjective
• (of part of the body) feeling a sharp stinging pain.
• "Susan rubbed her smarting eyes"
smart
verb
• (of a wound or part of the body) feel or cause a sharp stinging pain.
• "her legs were scratched and smarting"
Origin:
Old English smeortan (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to German schmerzen ; the adjective is related to the verb, the original sense (late Old English) being ‘causing sharp pain’; from this arose ‘keen, brisk’, whence the current senses of ‘mentally sharp’ and ‘neat in a brisk, sharp style’.
