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stationery

[stey-shuh-ner-ee]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stationery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

writing paper.
writing materials, as pens, pencils, paper, and envelopes.

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Stationary vs. Stationery
Stationary and stationery are just one letter off, but that seemingly small difference changes the meaning of these words entirely. These two terms share the Latin root statiōnārius, which derives from the word station meaning “a standing place.” Stationary with an a is the older of these two terms, and it means “fixed in one place and not moving,” like a stationary bicycle at the …
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Origin of stationery

First recorded in 1670–80; stationer + -y3
Can be confusedstationary stationery
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stationery

Contemporary Examples of stationery

Historical Examples of stationery

  • It was a stationery and tobacco store, and I was right at his heels when he entered.

    The Crevice

    William John Burns and Isabel Ostrander

  • A square envelope, belonging, in fact, to the ship's stationery.

    The Shadow-Line

    Joseph Conrad

  • There was no stationery in the desk, but Mary had a pocket diary in her chatelaine bag.

    A Woman for Mayor

    Helen M. Winslow

  • And he did it in three weeks, after beginning as a clerk in the stationery.

    Brother Copas

    Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

  • He saw that the stationery cabinet had been disturbed and laughed.

British Dictionary definitions for stationery

stationery

noun

any writing materials, such as paper, envelopes, pens, ink, rulers, etc

confusable

Avoid confusion with stationary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for stationery
n.

1727, from stationery wares (c.1680) "articles sold by a stationer," from stationer "seller of books and paper" (q.v.). Roving peddlers were more common in the Middle Ages; sellers with a fixed location were often bookshops licensed by universities. The Company of Stationers, one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, was founded 1556.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper