A stylus (plural: styli) is a writing utensil. It usually refers to a narrow, elongated staff, similar to a modern ballpoint pen. Many styli are slightly curved to be held more easily.

Etymology

The word was borrowed from Latin stilus, that was taken from an Etruscan word that has its origin in Greek stulos (pillar).

Function

Styli were used from classical times until the nineteenth century to write on wax tablets (tabulae), which were used for a variety of purposes, from secretaries' notes to recording accounts. One end of such styli was pointed for writing and the other was flattened into a broad shape for erasing.

Use in Arts

Styli are used in various arts and crafts still. Example situations: rubbing off dry transfer letters, tracing designs onto a new surface with carbon paper, and hand embossing. Styli are also used to engrave into materials like metal or clay.

Modern use

Today, the term stylus often refers to an input method usually used in PDAs and Digitizing Tablets. In this method, a stylus that secretes no ink touches a touch screen instead of a finger to avoid getting the natural oil from one's hands on the screen, or produces brushstrokes in a computer screen, respectively.

A stylus may also be used to scribe a recording into smoked foil or glass. In various instruments this method may be used instead of a pen for recording as it has the advantage of being able to operate over a wide temperature range, does not clog or dry prematurely, and has very small friction in comparison to other methods. These characteristics were useful in certain types of early seismographs and in recording barographs used in determining sailplane altitude records.

In the sound recording industry, a stylus is a phonograph or gramophone needle used to play back sound on gramophone records, as well as to record the sound indentations on the master record.

See also

• digital ink