linestyles vs linetypes

A linestyle is a temporary association of properties linecolor, linewidth, dashtype, and pointtype. It is defined using the command set style line. Once you have defined a linestyle, you can use it in a plot command to control the appearance of one or more plot elements. In other words, it is just like a linetype except for its lifetime. Whereas linetypes are permanent (they last until you explicitly redefine them), linestyles last until the next reset of the graphics state.

Examples:

     # define a new line style with terminal-independent color cyan,
     # linewidth 3, and associated point type 6 (a circle with a dot in it).
     set style line 5 lt rgb "cyan" lw 3 pt 6
     plot sin(x) with linespoints ls 5          # user-defined line style 5