Meaning & use
stylos
Last updated
“stylos” is a form of “stylo”.
Meaning
nouncountablerareold-fashioned
A pen with a fine point that uses ink, especially an old-fashioned fountain pen or a stylographic pen.
Grammar: Countable: one stylo, two stylos. The plural is regular, but the word itself is rare.
Patterns
- a stylo
- write with a stylo
He signed the letter with a black stylo he had owned since college.
In the drawer she found an old stylo and a dried-up bottle of ink.
Word forms
| plural | stylos |
|---|---|
| singular | stylo |
Common combinations
- a fountain stylo
- He preferred a fountain stylo for formal documents.
- a ballpoint stylo
- The cheap ballpoint stylo leaked in his pocket.
- write with a stylo
- She always writes with a stylo, never a pencil.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pen
- The general everyday word; 'stylo' is an old-fashioned or technical term for a particular type of pen.
- fountain pen
- A pen with a nib and refillable ink; 'stylo' can refer to this, but is much less common.
- stylograph
- A pen with a fine tube instead of a nib; 'stylo' is a short form of this word.
Word family
- stylographic adjective
- Relating to a stylographic pen or its writing.
Commonly confused: stylos or stylus? stylos or style?
stylos vs stylus
A stylus is a hard-pointed tool for writing on wax, or a pen-like device for touchscreens; a stylo is an ink pen.
stylos vs style
Style means a way of doing something or a fashion; stylo is a pen.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'stylos' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Stylos' is a plural noun, so it fits after 'two' in option A. Option B uses it as a verb, which is wrong. Option C treats it as a singular subject with 'are', which is wrong. Option D uses a plural after 'a', which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stylos”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.