n.
Pronunciation: ' st ī (- ə )l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English stile, style, from Latin stilus spike, stem, stylus, style of writing; perhaps akin to Latin in stigare to goad ― more at STICK
Date: 14th century
1 : DESIGNATION , TITLE
2 a : a distinctive manner of expression (as in writing or speech) <writes with more attention to style than to content> <the flowery style of 18th century prose> b : a distinctive manner or custom of behaving or conducting oneself <the formal style of the court> <his style is abrasive> also : a particular mode of living <in high style > c : a particular manner or technique by which something is done, created, or performed <a unique style of horseback riding> <the classical style of dance>
3 a : STYLUS b : GNOMON 1B c : the filiform usually elongated part of the pistil bearing a stigma at its apex ― see FLOWER illustration d : a slender elongated process (as a bristle) on an animal
4 : a distinctive quality, form, or type of something <a new dress style > <the Greek style of architecture>
5 a : the state of being popular : FASHION <clothes that are always in style > b : fashionable elegance c : beauty, grace, or ease of manner or technique <an awkward moment she handled with style >
6 : a convention with respect to spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and typographic arrangement and display followed in writing or printing
synonyms see FASHION
– style · less \ ' st ī (- ə )l-l ə s \ adjective
– style · less · ness noun