stylus

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stylus

  • /ˈstaɪ.ləs/

Rhymes with -aɪləs

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin stylus (“a stake or pale”). Probably not directly related to Ancient Greek στῦλος (stûlos, “a pillar”). Doublet of style.

noun styli · styluses · stilus

  1. An ancient writing implement consisting of a small rod with a pointed end for scratching letters on clay, wax-covered tablets or other surfaces, and a blunt end for obliterating them. [T]he pleasure of writing on wax with a stylus is exemplified by the fine, flowing hand of a Roman scribe who made out the birth certificate of Herennia Gemella, born March 128 AD.
  2. A small implement with a pointed end used for engraving and tracing.
  3. A small device resembling a pen used to input handwritten text or drawings directly into an electronic device with a touch-sensitive screen. Use the stylus to scroll up and down the list or flip through the pages left and right.
  4. A hard-pointed pen-shaped instrument for marking on stencils used in a mimeograph machine.
  5. A hard point, typically of diamond or sapphire, following a groove in a phonograph and transmitting the recorded sound for reproduction.

    Similar: needle

  6. A pointed device formerly used to produce a groove in a record when recording sound.

    Similar: needle

  7. A tool for making small dots on a piece of heavy paper, used to produce Braille writing for the blind by hand.
  8. Synonym of style.

    Similar: style

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: style, crayon, pencil, pointer, spear, needle, pen, stilus, stylography, stylo, stylophone, inking, stelography, stylographic pen, noctograph, solidus

Translations

Every language

noun tool for writing on clay tablets

Españolestilo, estilete
한국어첨필 cheompil, 스타일러스 seutailleoseu
日本語スタイラス sutairasu
中文描畫針 /描画针 miáohuàzhēn
Portuguêsestilo, estilete
Françaisstylet, style
DeutschSchreibgriffel, Schreibspitze, Stilus
Italianostilo
Ελληνικάγραφίδα grafída
Românăstil
Русскийсти́лос stílos, сти́лус stílus, стило́ stiló

noun phonograph needle

Españolaguja
中文唱針 /唱针 chàngzhēn
Portuguêssafira, agulha
Françaissaphir
DeutschSaphir, Grammofonnadel
Italianopuntina
Ελληνικάβελόνα velóna
Русскийиго́лка igólka

noun pen for writing on a touch-sensitive screen

Españolestilete, estilo, lápiz digital, lápiz óptico
한국어스타일러스 seutailleoseu
日本語スタイラス sutairasu
中文觸控筆 /触控笔 chùkòngbǐ, 光筆 /光笔 guāngbǐ
Françaisstylet
DeutschEingabestift, Stylus, Touchpen
Italianostilo
Ελληνικάστυλός stylós
Русскийсти́лос stílos, сти́лус stílus, стило́ stiló

noun tool for writing Braille

Españolpunzón
中文盲文筆 /盲文笔 mángwénbǐ
Portuguêspunção
Françaispoinçon

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Cite this
MLA

"stylus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/stylus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

stylus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/stylus

Chicago

"stylus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/stylus.

BibTeX
@misc{stylus_2026,
  title = {stylus},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/stylus},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}