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