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LATIN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

stilus.

stylus, pencil, iron pen; column, pillar;

6 characters2 syllables approx.Latina language

Meaning & usage

noun[ˈstɪ.ɫʊs]Classical-Latin[ˈstiː.lus]
  1. a stake, pale, spike

    declension-2 · masculine · usually
  2. a stake, pale, spike a pointed instrument for freeing plants from worms or from shoots which grow too rankly

    declension-2 · masculine · usually
  3. a stake, pale, spike a stem, stalk

    declension-2 · masculine · usually
  4. a stylus or pencil used for writing on waxen tablets

    declension-2 · masculine
  5. a stylus or pencil used for writing on waxen tablets an act of setting down in writing, composing, composition; the practice of composing; a manner of writing, mode of composition

    declension-2 · masculine
  6. a stylus or pencil used for writing on waxen tablets a style in speaking, manner of speaking, mode of expression

    declension-2 · masculine
  7. a stylus or pencil used for writing on waxen tablets a decision, verdict, opinion

    declension-2 · masculine
Where this word comes from

Probably from Proto-Italic *stiglos (which stimulus and stiva may also be related to), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp; to sting”) + *-lós. In this case, related to instīgō (“to urge, stimulate, stir up”), Ancient Greek στῐ́ζω (stĭ́zō, “to mark with a pointed instrument”), Ancient Greek στῐ́γμᾰ (stĭ́gmă, “mark, spot”), Proto-Germanic *stikaną (“to stick, stab”). An alternative derivation relates the word to Avestan 𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬉𐬭𐬀 (staēra, “mountaintop”). Not related to Ancient Greek στῦλος (stûlos, “pillar; wooden pole”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.