Sticky, a. [Compar. Stickier; superl. Stickiest.]
Having the quality of sticking to a surface; adhesive; gluey; viscous; viscid; glutinous; tenacious. Herbs which last longest are those of strong smell, and with a sticky stalk. Bacon.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for sticky; he lists it under adhesive.
Where he writes about it:
Adhesive is the scientific, sticking or sticky the popular word. — from adhesive
Sticky expresses a more limited, and generally annoying, degree of the same quality. — from adhesive