stylus

[ stahy-luhs ]

/ ˈstaɪ ləs /

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noun, plural sty·li

[stahy-lahy], /ˈstaɪ laɪ/, sty·lus·es.

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.

any of various pointed, pen-shaped instruments used in drawing, artwork, etc.

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).

Audio.

Also called cutting stylus. a needle used for cutting grooves in making a disk recording to be played on a phonograph.
a needle for reproducing the sounds of a phonograph record.

any of various pointed wedges used to punch holes in paper or other material, as in writing Braille.

any of various kinds of pens for tracing a line automatically, as on a recording seismograph or electrocardiograph.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also style (for defs. 1, 2).

Origin of stylus

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

Words nearby stylus

stylophone, stylopize, stylopodium, stylops, stylostixis, stylus, stymie, stymied, Stymphalian birds, stymy, stypsis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stylus in a sentence

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.
Best 2 in 1 laptops: Work hard, play hard with these versatile picks|PopSci Commerce Team|January 27, 2021|Popular-Science
There are even options for stylus users, if you’re taking advantage of the touchscreen capabilities of Windows.
How to completely customize the way you control Windows|David Nield|January 15, 2021|Popular-Science
Lenovo launches AR glasses for enterpriseThe laptop also sports a built-in stylus for use with the touchscreen.
Lenovo introduces a wireless charging mat for its e-ink sporting laptop|Brian Heater|January 12, 2021|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.
Best Android tablet: Find the right device for you|Eric Alt|December 17, 2020|Popular-Science

Premium features include high-resolution touchscreen technology, fast speed, extra storage, swivel screens, backlit keys, and stylus pens.
Best Chromebooks: Five things to consider|Eric Alt|December 9, 2020|Popular-Science
Enter the iSpoon, a conventional stirrer on one end and a tablet stylus on the other.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Richard Hendriks in Your Life|Allison McNearney|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Available at Metrokane iSpoon Kitchen Stylus, $10 The modern cook has a new best friend: the Internet.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Richard Hendriks in Your Life|Allison McNearney|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A flat polished surface or tablets, strewn with sand, on which figures were inscribed with a stylus.
The Earliest Arithmetics in English|Anonymous
Over his left ear, he carried, after the fashion of a modern clerk, an instrument resembling the stylus of the ancients.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe|Edgar Allan Poe
The dots and dashes representing the words were not drawn with pen and ink, but embossed on the paper with a metal stylus.
Heroes of the Telegraph|J. Munro
A vibrating diaphragm to collect the sounds, and a stylus to impress them on a sheet of tinfoil, were its essential parts.
Heroes of the Telegraph|J. Munro
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.
Heroes of the Telegraph|J. Munro

British Dictionary definitions for stylus

stylus

/ (ˈstaɪləs) /

noun plural -li (-laɪ) or -luses

Also called: style a pointed instrument for engraving, drawing, or writing

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

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 of stylus

stylar, adjective

Word Origin for stylus

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