sting
kentron denotes a pointed means of piercing or harm, used both concretely and for death's injuring force.
The attested uses show a pointed means of piercing or harm in concrete settings—goads and scorpion-like tails—and, in 1 Corinthians, as the injuring force attributed to death.
Senses in use
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Pointed instruments or means of harm · dominant
The accusative plural form occurs in Acts 26:14, where the clause concerns kicking against goads, and in Revelation 9:10, where scorpion-like tails have stings and authority to harm humans. In Acts 26:14 the APB renders the clause “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” while Revelation 9:10 speaks of tails “like scorpions and stings.”
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Death's injuring force · common
The nominative singular form is used in the repeated question about death in 1 Corinthians 15:55 and in the statement that links death's sting with sin in 1 Corinthians 15:56. In 1 Corinthians 15:55 the APB renders the question “Where, O death, is your sting?” and 1 Corinthians 15:56 renders “The sting of death is sin.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the plural occurrences as “goads” in Acts 26:14 and “stings” in Revelation 9:10, while the singular occurrences are “sting” in the statements about death in 1 Corinthians 15:55 and 1 Corinthians 15:56. These are clause-level renderings, not definitionses.