Stylistic

How to spell stylistic

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce stylistic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does stylistic mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to style or manner of expression in writing, art, design, or speech.

Stylistic in a sentence

• The editor flagged several stylistic inconsistencies in the report.

• The architect made a bold stylistic choice with the curved facade.

Where does stylistic come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin stilus, the pointed instrument the Romans used to scratch letters into wax tablets, which by extension came to mean a person's characteristic manner of writing. When the word passed into English through French as 'style', writers wrongly assumed a connection to the Greek stylos, meaning 'pillar' or 'column', and that false association is why the modern English spelling carries a 'y' rather than the original Latin 'i'. From 'style' English built the agent noun 'stylist' for someone with a distinctive manner, and then added the common adjective ending '-ic' to produce 'stylistic', describing anything relating to style or manner of expression. The word settled into English in the nineteenth century, largely in discussions of literature and the arts. The buried 'y' from that ancient Greek mix-up is the main reason writers hesitate over the spelling today.

How the word is built

• styl- (from Latin stilus: writing instrument, manner of writing)
• -ist (one who practises)
• -ic (adjective suffix)