Etymology

style

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Today it means: A sharp stick used for writing on clay tablets or other surfaces; a stylus; (by extension, obsolete) an instrument used to write with ink; a pen. Full definition →

Middle English stile ← Old French estile ← Latin stilu
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style · noun, verb1

  1. Medieval Latinstylus
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg-
  3. Proto-Italic*stiglos?
  4. Latinstilu
  5. Old Frenchestile
  6. Middle Englishstile
  7. English todaystyle

The noun is derived from Middle English stile (“writing tool; piece of written work; characteristic mode of expression; demeanour; person's designation or title; stem of a plant; period of time”) (compare semantic development to по́черк (póčerk, “handwriting, style”)), from Old French estile, or from Medieval Latin stylus, both from Latin stilus (“pointed instrument; writing tool; composition; characteristic mode of expression; stem of a plant”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp; to pierce, prick, puncture, stab; to goad”). Doublet of stylus. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates *Catalan estil (“engraving tool, stylus; gnomon; manner of doing something, style; fashionable skill, grace”) * German Stiel (“handle; stalk”) * Italian stilo (“needle, stylus; fountain pen; beam; gnomon; part of pistil, style”) * Occitan estil * Portuguese estilo (“writing tool, stylus; manner of doing something, style”) * Spanish estilo (“writing tool, stylus; manner of doing something, style; fashionable skill, grace; part of pistil, style”).

style · noun2

See etymology at stile.

Style · proper noun3

Blend of Stan + Kyle.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg- all →

ticketsticktigerstitchetiquettethistleinstigatorstickle

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.