# style

Pronunciation: say "STYL" /staɪl/

## Noun

1. The characteristic manner in which something is made, done, or expressed, especially in art, architecture, writing, or speech.
   - Simple: The typical way something is made, done, or expressed, for example in art, buildings, writing, or speech.
   - _The cathedral combines Gothic and Renaissance styles._
   - _Each painter brought a distinct style to the workshop._
2. Flair or grace; a way of behaving or carrying oneself, especially one seen as fashionable or skillful.
   - Simple: A person's own way of acting or doing things, especially when it shows skill or grace.
   - _The veteran negotiator closed the deal with characteristic style._
   - _He moved through the crowd with effortless style._
3. The particular way a person grooms, dresses, or carries themselves, especially a way thought to be attractive or fashionable.
   - Simple: The way a person dresses, does their hair, and looks, especially when it seems attractive.
   - _Her effortless style turned heads at every gathering._
   - _Teenagers often develop a personal style that sets them apart from their parents._
5. A set of formatting attributes, such as boldface or italics, applied to text or other parts of a document.
   - Simple: A change to how text or parts of a document look, such as bold or italic.
   - _Apply the heading style to keep all section titles consistent._
   - _The template defines a style for quotations and another for captions._
7. A set of rules a publisher applies to its works, governing spelling, typography, citation of references, and the presentation of illustrations.
   - Simple: A set of rules a publisher uses for how words and pictures should look on the page.
   - _The journal's style requires all measurements in metric units._
   - _New writers receive a guide explaining the paper's style._
8. A legal or traditional formula of words used to address or refer to a person, especially a monarch or someone holding a title or post.
   - Simple: The official words used to address or name someone who has a title, such as a king or judge.
   - _The duke insisted on being given his full style at every formal occasion._
   - _Diplomatic letters open with the recipient's correct style and titles._
10. In a flower's pistil, the slender stalk joining the stigma or stigmas to the ovary.
   - Simple: The thin stalk inside a flower that links the pollen-catching tip to the part where seeds form.
   - _In a lily, the long style rises from the ovary to the sticky stigma._
   - _After pollination, the pollen tube travels the full length of the style._

## Verb

4. To design, shape, or arrange something in a particular way, including choosing someone's clothes, hair, or overall look.
   - Simple: To give something a particular design or shape, or to choose and arrange someone's clothes, hair, or look.
   - _The architect styled the lobby after grand European hotels._
   - _Stylists style the models' hair before each runway show._
6. To call or give a name or title to someone or something.
   - Simple: To call someone or something by a certain name or title.
   - _The monarch chose to style himself Defender of the Faith._
   - _Critics styled the young writer the voice of her generation._
9. To behave in a way that seeks to display one's style or flair. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: To act or dress in a flashy way to show off how good you look.
   - _The rookie was styling on the court, showboating after every basket._
   - _Fresh haircut, new sneakers: he was styling all the way down the block._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A sharp-pointed instrument for writing on wax or clay tablets, or for cutting lines in engraving; a stylus or graver.
- (noun) The gnomon or pin of a sundial, whose shadow falls across the dial to indicate the hour.
- (noun) A small, slender, pointed or bristle-like structure on an animal's body, such as one near the tip of an insect's abdomen.
- (noun) A surgical instrument with a blunt point, used for exploring wounds or body cavities.

## Origin

The noun comes through Middle English from Old French 'style' or Medieval Latin 'stylus', both from Latin 'stilus', meaning a pointed instrument, a writing tool, and a characteristic mode of expression. This probably traces back to Proto-Indo-European '*(s)teyg-' ('to be sharp, to pierce'), and the word is a doublet of 'stylus'. The verb is derived from the noun.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/style (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).