Editing Stylus

{{Short description|Writing utensil or small tool for marking or shaping}}
{{about|a writing utensil|the pointing device|Stylus (computing)|other uses}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Stylus pen|Digital pen}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2016}}
[[File:Table with was and stylus Roman times.jpg|thumbnail|300px| [[Wax tablet]] and a Roman stylus]]

A '''stylus'''{{efn | name="plurals" | Plural: styli or styluses<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stylus|title=Stylus – Define Stylus at Dictionary.com|work=Dictionary.com}}</ref>}} is a [[writing utensil]] or tool for scribing or marking into softer materials. Different styluses were used to write in [[cuneiform]] by pressing into wet clay, and to scribe or carve into a [[wax tablet]]. Very hard styluses are also used to [[Engraving|engrave]] metal, and the [[slate and stylus]] system is used to punch out dots to write in [[Braille]].<ref name="AFB">{{cite web | title =What is Braille? | publisher =[[American Foundation for the Blind]] | url =http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=6&TopicID=199 | format =web | access-date =2008-04-02 | archive-date =2007-11-19 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071119071934/http://afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=6&TopicID=199 | url-status =dead }}</ref>

Styluses are held in the hand and thus are usually a narrow elongated shape, similar to a modern [[ballpoint pen]]. Many styluses are heavily curved to be held more easily. 

The word ''stylus'' is also used to describe [[Stylus (computing)|computer styluses]] used to assist in navigating or providing more precision when using [[touchscreen]]s.

==Etymology==
[[File:Stylus.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Four examples of medieval styluses for writing on [[wax tablet]]s. Two are made of iron, one brass and one bone stylus.]]
''Stylus'' comes from the [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|stilus}}—the spelling ''stylus'' arose from an erroneous connection with Greek {{Lang|grc-latn|stylos}} ({{lang|grc|στύλος}}), 'pillar'.<ref name=OLD-stilus>''[[Oxford Latin Dictionary]]'', s.v. "stilus" (2012).</ref>

The Latin word had several meanings, including "a long, sharply pointed piece of metal; the stem of a plant; a pointed instrument for incising letters; the stylus (as used in literary composition), 'pen{{'"}}.<ref name=OLD-stilus/> The last meaning is the origin of ''[[Writing style|style]]'' in the literary sense. The Latin word is probably derived from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Indo-European]] root {{Lang|ine-x-proto|stei-}} 'to prick', also found in the words {{Lang|la|stimulus}} 'a goad, stimulus' and {{Lang|la|instigare}} 'to incite, instigate'.<ref>''Oxford Latin Dictionary'', s.v. "stimulus" (2012).</ref>

== Cuneiform ==
[[File:Wachstafel rem.jpg|thumb|Reproduction of a Roman-style [[wax tablet]] with three styluses]]
Styluses were first used by the [[ancient Mesopotamians]] in order to write in [[cuneiform]]. They were mostly made of [[Phragmites|reeds]] and had a slightly curved trapezoidal section.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cammarosano|first=Michele|date=2014|title=The Cuneiform Stylus|url=https://www.academia.edu/12047738|journal=Mesopotamia|language=en|volume=XLIX|pages=53–90|via=osf.io/dfng4/}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bramanti|first1=Armando|title=The Cuneiform Stylus. Some Addenda|journal=Cuneiform Digital Library Notes|date=2015|volume=2015|issue=12|url=https://www.academia.edu/14510982}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cuneiform.neocities.org/CWT/CWT.html|title=Cuneiform Writing Techniques|last=Cammarosano|first=Michele|website=cuneiform.neocities.org|language=en|access-date=2018-07-18}}</ref> Egyptians (Middle Kingdom) and the [[Minoan civilization|Minoans]] of [[Crete]] (Linear A and Cretan Hieroglyphic) made styluses in various materials: reeds that grew on the sides of the [[Tigris]] and [[Euphrates]] rivers and in [[marsh]]es and down to Egypt where the Egyptians used styluses from sliced reeds with sharp points; bone and metal styluses were also used. Cuneiform was entirely based on the "[[Wedge (geometry)|wedge]]-shaped" mark that the end of a cut reed made when pushed into a [[clay tablet]]; from [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|cuneus}} 'wedge'. The linear writings of Crete in the first half of the second millennium BC which were made on clay tablets that were left to dry in the sun until they became "[[leather-hard]]" before being incised by the stylus. The linear nature of the writing was also dictated by the use of the stylus.

In Western Europe styluses were widely used <!-- With what? Wax, presumably? --> until the [[late Middle Ages]]. For learning purposes, the stylus was gradually replaced by a [[Slate (writing)|writing slate]]. From the mid-14th century improved water-powered [[paper mill]]s produced large and cheap quantities of paper and the [[wax tablet]] and stylus disappeared completely from daily life.

==Use in arts==
Styluses are still used in various arts and crafts, for example in: rubbing off [[dry transfer]] letters, tracing designs onto a new surface with [[carbon paper]], and hand [[Embossing (paper)|embossing]]. Styluses are also used to [[engraving|engrave]] into materials like [[metal]] or [[clay]].

Styluses are used to make dots as found in folk art and Mexican pottery artifacts. [[Oaxaca]] dot art is created using styluses.

==Smartphones and computing==
[[File:Styluses.JPG|thumb|240px|left|Styluses for different [[Personal digital assistant|PDAs]]]]
{{Main article|Stylus (computing)}}
Modern day devices, such as phones, can often be used with a stylus to accurately navigate through menus, send messages etc. 
Today, the term ''stylus'' often refers to an input tool usually used with [[touchscreen]]-enabled devices, such as [[Tablet computer|Tablet PC]]s, to accurately navigate interface elements, send messages, etc. This also prevents smearing the screen with oils from one's fingers. Styluses may also be used for handwriting, or for drawing using [[graphics tablet]]s.

Many new phones have a built-in stylus which tucks in behind the back cover. Some styluses may extend and contract into small, pen-like cylinders, which are easy to put away.

Styluses come in both passive and active versions.

A passive or capacitive stylus is a stylus that acts just like a finger when touching a device screen. There is no electronic communication between a passive stylus and a device, and the device treats the stylus the same as a finger. Passive styluses are considered less accurate than active styluses.

An active stylus includes electronic components that communicate with a device's touchscreen controller, or digitizer. Active pens are typically used for note taking, on-screen drawing/painting, and electronic document annotation. They help prevent the problem of one's fingers or hands accidentally contacting the screen.

As in ancient styluses, the stylus is pointed or rounded at one end and is made to fit in the grip of a hand comfortably. These styluses can be found in many different styles.

Since many modern tablets make use of multi-touch recognition, some stylus and app manufactures have created palm rejection technologies into their products. This works to turn off the multi-touch feature allowing the palm to rest on the tablet while still recognizing the stylus.

Other than the types above, a haptic stylus is a stylus that simulates, through [[haptic technology]], realistic physical sensations which can be felt while writing on paper. The sensation is sometimes enhanced by the combination of auditory and tactile illusions, such as with [[RealPen]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://doi.org/10.1145/2984511.2984550|title=RealPen: Providing Realism in Handwriting Tasks on Touch Surfaces using Auditory-Tactile Feedback|first1=Youngjun|last1=Cho|first2=Andrea|last2=Bianchi|first3=Nicolai|last3=Marquardt|first4=Nadia|last4=Bianchi-Berthouze|date=October 16, 2016|publisher=Association for Computing Machinery|pages=195–205|via=ACM Digital Library|doi=10.1145/2984511.2984550|arxiv=1803.02307 }}</ref>

==Scientific instruments==
A stylus is also an instrument used to scribe a recording into smoked foil or glass. In various scientific instruments this method may be employed 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 nearly negligible friction in comparison to other methods. These characteristics were useful in certain types of early [[seismograph]]s and in recording [[barograph]]s that were once used to verify [[sailplane]] records. The styluses used in [[scanning tunneling microscope]]s have only a single [[atom]] at the tip; these are effectively the sharpest styluses possible.

==See also==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{commons category|Stylus|lcfirst=yes}}
* [[Active pen]]
* [[Digital ink (disambiguation)|Digital ink]]
* [[List of pen types, brands and companies]]
* [[Phonograph#Stylus|Phonograph stylus]]
* [[Slate and stylus]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
<references/>

{{Pens}}

[[Category:Writing implements]]