Dictionary.com
definitions

stylet

[stahy-lit]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stylet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a stiletto or dagger.
any similar sharp-pointed instrument.
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.

RELATED CONTENT

What is the difference between a bug and an insect?We tend to use the word bug loosely for any very small creature with legs. However, a true bug is defined as belonging to the order Hemiptera. These creatures characteristically have tough forewings and lack teeth, such as beetles. True bugs have a stylet (a mouth shaped like a straw) that they use to suck juices from plants. Insects belong to the class Insecta and they are characterized by three-part bodies, usually two pairs of wings, and …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. style,
  2. style sheet,
  3. stylebook,
  4. stylee,
  5. styler,
  6. styli,
  7. styli-,
  8. stylie,
  9. styliform,
  10. styling

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for stylet

British Dictionary definitions for stylet

stylet

noun

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

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
Medicine definitions for stylet

stylet

[stī-lĕt′, stī′lĭt]

n.

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