stylus Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a sharp pointed device attached to the cartridge of a record player
  2. noun a pointed tool for writing or drawing or engraving
    style.
    • he drew the design on the stencil with a steel stylus

WordNet

Sty"lus noun
Etymology
L. stylus, or better stilus.
Definitions
  1. An instrument for writing. See Style, n., 1.
  2. That needle-shaped part at the tip of the playing arm of phonograph which sits in the groove of a phonograph record while it is turning, to detect the undulations in the phonograph groove and convert them into vibrations which are transmitted to a system (since 1920 electronic) which converts the signal into sound; also called needle. The stylus is frequently composed of metal or diamond.
  3. The needle-like device used to cut the grooves which record the sound on the original disc during recording of a phonograph record.
  4. (Computers) A pen-shaped pointing device used to specify the cursor position on a graphics tablet.

Webster 1913