Main Entry:

sty·lus

Pronunciation:

\ˈstī-ləs\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural sty·li \ˈstī(-ə)-ˌlī\ also sty·lus·es \ˈstī-lə-səz\

Etymology:

Latin stylus, stilus spike, stylus — more at style

Date:

1773

: an instrument for writing, marking, or incising: as a: an instrument used by the ancients in writing on clay or waxed tablets b: a hard-pointed pen-shaped instrument for marking on stencils used in a reproducing machine c (1): needle 3c (2): a cutting tool used to produce an original record groove during disc recording d: a pen-shaped pointing device used for entering data (as positional information from a graphics tablet) into a computer