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stylet

[stahy-lit]
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noun
  1. a stiletto or dagger.
  2. any similar sharp-pointed instrument.
  3. Medicine/Medical.
    1. a probe.
    2. a wire run through the length of a catheter, cannula, or needle to make it rigid or to clear it.
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Origin of stylet

1690–1700; < French < Middle French stilet < Italian stiletto stiletto; -y- < Latin stylus. See style, stylus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for stylet

blade, bayonet, sword, cutlass, poniard, stylet, switchblade, stiletto, bodkin, dirk, anlace, sidearm, skean

Examples from the Web for stylet

Historical Examples of stylet

  • Stylet: a small style or stiff process: one of the piercing mouth structures in Diptera and Hemiptera.

    Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology

    John. B. Smith

  • Leaves alternate, pinnate with stylet in place of the odd leaflet.

  • Leaves abruptly pinnate, the place of the odd leaflet taken by a stylet.

  • Leaves opposite, abruptly pinnate with a stylet in place of the odd leaflet.

  • The question being asked, 'How can the stylet be procured to satisfy curiosity?'

British Dictionary definitions for stylet

stylet

noun
  1. surgery
    1. a wire for insertion into a flexible cannula or catheter to maintain its rigidity or patency during passage
    2. a slender probe
  2. zoology any small pointed bristle-like part
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Word Origin for stylet

C17: from French stilet, from Old Italian stiletto; influenced in spelling by Latin stylus style
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
stylet in Medicine

stylet

(stī-lĕt′, stī′lĭt)
n.
  1. A fine wire that is run through a catheter, cannula, or hollow needle to keep it stiff or clear of debris.
  2. A slender surgical probe.stylus
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.