stylus

Noun

stylus (plural styli or styluses)

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.2013 September 14, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review”, in The Telegraph
   • But that tactic may have older roots than we thought; archaeologists have discovered an iron stylus in London, complete with an inscribed joke, that dates back nearly 2,000 years.
     Of 200 styluses found at a site under Bloomberg’s new European headquarters, only one – dating back to around 70 A.D. –...2019 July 28, Rob Picheta, “Ancient Roman pen with an inscribed joke found under streets of London”, in CNN
   1. A small implement with a pointed end used for engraving and tracing.
   2. 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.2008, “PDA”, in Cory in the House: Instruction Booklet, Burbank, California: Disney Interactive Studios; Nintendo, page 10
      • It’s the cheapest stylus Apple’s released yet, but you’ll need a USB-C iPad to use it.2023 October 19, Mike Andronico, “Apple just revealed a new $79 Apple Pencil with USB-C — but is it right for you?”, in CNN
2. A hard-pointed pen-shaped instrument for marking on stencils used in a mimeograph machine.
3. A hard point, typically of diamond or sapphire, following a groove in a phonograph and transmitting the recorded sound for reproduction.

   Synonyms:

   needle

   1. A pointed device formerly used to produce a groove in a record when recording sound.
4. A tool for making small dots on a piece of heavy paper, used to produce Braille writing for the blind by hand.
5. Synonym of style.

   Synonyms:

   style