stationery

noun

sta·​tio·​nery ˈstā-shə-ˌner-ē 

1

: materials (such as paper, pens, and ink) for writing or typing

2

: letter paper usually accompanied with matching envelopes

Did you know?

stationary or stationery?

The Internet is awash with mnemonics (“something (such as a word, a sentence, or a song) that helps people remember something“) designed to assist those who have trouble distinguishing between two similar words. A fair share of these turn out to be for the words stationery and stationary. The most commonly suggested method is to remember that you buy papER at a stationERy store. If this trick does not work for you, then perhaps it will help to remember that a stationery store is one that is run by a stationer. This word was originally applied to a bookseller, but by the middle of the 17th century it began to be used for a person who sells papers, pens, and office goods.

Examples of stationery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wares range from household goods to fashion and foodstuffs and are sourced from long-standing businesses around Japan’s 47 prefectures, such as nostalgia-inducing enamel coffee kettles from Tochigi, urushi lacquer bowls from Ishikawa and stationery made from washi paper in Toyama. —Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2024

Trademark filings also indicated that Meghan might also try to sell salad dressing, personal journals, cocktail napkins, letter-openers and stationery, garden tools like hand trowels, decorative string lights, and pet supplies, including pet leashes and collars, Vanity Fair reported. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

stationer

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

stationery

noun

sta·​tio·​nery ˈstā-shə-ˌner-ē 

1

: materials (as paper, pens, and ink) for writing or typing

2

: letter paper usually accompanied with matching envelopes