stylus

[ stahy-luhs ]

noun

, plural sty·li [stahy, -lahy], sty·lus·es.

1. an instrument of metal, bone, or the like, used by the ancients for writing on waxed tablets, having one end pointed for incising the letters and the other end blunt for rubbing out writing and smoothing the tablet.
2. any of various pointed, pen-shaped instruments used in drawing, artwork, etc.
3. Computers. a pen-shaped device used on a display screen to input commands or handwritten text or drawings. Compare joystick ( def 2 ), mouse ( def 4 ).
4. Audio.
   1. Also called cutting stylus. a needle used for cutting grooves in making a disk recording to be played on a phonograph.
   2. a needle for reproducing the sounds of a phonograph record.
5. any of various pointed wedges used to punch holes in paper or other material, as in writing Braille.
6. any of various kinds of pens for tracing a line automatically, as on a recording seismograph or electrocardiograph.

stylus

/ ˈstaɪləs /

noun

1. Also calledstyle a pointed instrument for engraving, drawing, or writing
2. a tool used in ancient times for writing on wax tablets, which was pointed at one end and blunt at the other for erasing mistakes
3. a device attached to the cartridge in the pick-up arm of a record player that rests in the groove in the record, transmitting the vibrations to the sensing device in the cartridge. It consists of or is tipped with a hard material, such as diamond or sapphire

Derived Forms

• ˈstylar, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stylus¹

1720–30; < Latin: spelling variant of stilus stake, pointed writing instrument; spelling with -y- from fancied derivation < Greek stŷlos column

Word History and Origins

Origin of stylus¹

C18: from Latin, variant of stilus writing implement; see style

Example Sentences

If you go for a brand that allows you to use a stylus to input information, you’ll want to be sure it has palm-rejection technology.

From Popular-Science

There are even options for stylus users, if you’re taking advantage of the touchscreen capabilities of Windows.

From Popular-Science

Lenovo launches AR glasses for enterpriseThe laptop also sports a built-in stylus for use with the touchscreen.

From TechCrunch

Meanwhile, stylus pens and detachable keyboards can go a long way towards making a tablet useful for passive entertainment and allow it to serve as a functional tool.

From Popular-Science

Premium features include high-resolution touchscreen technology, fast speed, extra storage, swivel screens, backlit keys, and stylus pens.

From Popular-Science

Enter the iSpoon, a conventional stirrer on one end and a tablet stylus on the other.

From The Daily Beast

Available at Metrokane iSpoon Kitchen Stylus, $10 The modern cook has a new best friend: the Internet.

From The Daily Beast

A flat polished surface or tablets, strewn with sand, on which figures were inscribed with a stylus.

From Project Gutenberg

Over his left ear, he carried, after the fashion of a modern clerk, an instrument resembling the stylus of the ancients.

From Project Gutenberg

The dots and dashes representing the words were not drawn with pen and ink, but embossed on the paper with a metal stylus.

From Project Gutenberg

A vibrating diaphragm to collect the sounds, and a stylus to impress them on a sheet of tinfoil, were its essential parts.

From Project Gutenberg

He attached the pin or stylus to the centre of the mica, and brought its point to bear on a cylindrical surface of prepared chalk.

From Project Gutenberg