Stationery: Definition, Usage & Writing Materials

Meaning 1：writing materials (stationery)

stationery 🔊

/ˈsteɪʃəˌneri/

Things you use for writing, like pens, paper, and envelopes.

Stationery items illustration showing pens, notebooks, and paper on a wooden desk.

writing materials 🔊

➕

/ˈraɪtɪŋ məˈtɪəriəlz/

Items used for writing, such as pens, pencils, paper, and envelopes.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'stationarius' (stationary seller), related to goods sold from a fixed station.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'stationery' as items that stay on your station (desk) for writing.

📖 Example

Before school started, she went to the store to buy new stationery like pens, notebooks, and colorful folders. 🔊 Prior to the start of school, she went shopping for new writing materials including pens, notebooks, and folders.

🔗 Collocations

stationery store – a shop that sells writing materials

office stationery – writing supplies used in an office setting

personal stationery – writing materials for individual use

🔄 Synonyms

writing materials (n.) – items used for writing

office supplies (n.) – materials used in an office environment

paper goods (n.) – products made of paper, often including stationery

🌱 Derivatives

stationer (n.) – a person or shop that sells stationery

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Medieval Latin 'stationarius', referring to a bookseller with a fixed location. It evolved to mean writing materials sold by such merchants, commonly used in offices and schools.