I. ˈpȯint dial ˈpīnt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, partly from Old French point prick, sting, small spot, dot, item, point in time or space, from Latin punctum small hole, spot, point in time or space, from neuter of punctus, past participle of pungere to prick, sting, pierce; partly from Old French pointe sharp end, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin puncta, from Latin, feminine of punctus, past participle — more at pungent
1.
a.
(1) : one of the indivisible parts of an extended usually abstract whole : an individual detail of a pair or group of details : item , particular
said there were two points in the proposal that were important
carefully considered each point of the argument
said that in his new job he would have to watch a couple of points
(2) : a distinguishing trait or feature : a differentiating detail : individualizing mark : characteristic
was well aware of the teacher's good and bad points
tact is one of her strong points
specifically : a feature of an animal's physical qualities or behavior especially as figuring in evaluation of the animal's relative excellence of breed
judges at a dog show carefully noting the points of each dog
(3) points plural : the facial markings of a Siamese cat : mask
b.
(1) : the most important essential in some discussion or matter : the principal or central element : the precise part on which the rest turns or depends
the point of his talk was that more effort was needed
the point is they are doing as well as they can
asked them not to digress and to keep to the point
became impatient with the witness and asked her to come to the point
(2) : the part of something spoken or written that gives it effectiveness or meaningfulness : the element on which applicability or cogency depends : the main idea or vital feature
could not see the point of such a remark
missed the whole point of the joke
c. : the quality of something spoken or written of being able to arouse interest and of being generally effective : pungent effectiveness arising especially out of applicability : cogency , force , punch
is a basically sound book but somehow lacks point
2. obsolete : the state of being in a particular physical condition
looked fairer and in better point than all the rest — John Evelyn
3.
a.
(1) : an end or object to be achieved : aim , purpose
did not see what point there was in continuing the discussion
(2) : something to be gained : benefit , good
wondered whether there would be any point in seeing her
b. : something that one has proposed and is trying to get established or accepted : a particular line of argument : what one is driving at : thesis , proposition
said he was beginning to see her point
has unquestionably won his point
carried the point without difficulty and did as she wanted to
made their point so that everyone was convinced
c.
(1) : something that is the subject of discussion or attention
asked what the point at issue was
or concern
with them the whole thing is a point of conscience
: matter
is a point of controversy
a point of interest
(2) : something (as a vital idea, an essential detail) that is important enough to require serious discussion or consideration
told him that he had a point in what he said
(3) : pointer 8
4.
a.
(1) : a particular narrowly limited part of a surface or of space that is singled out as occupying a usually precisely indicated spot and that has usually minimum extension or no relevant extension : a specific narrowly localized place having no relevant size or shape : a definite precisely indicated placement or position of something
fire broke out at several points in the city
walked to a point 50 yards north of the building
struck the target at a point just left of center
a satellite that was 200 miles from earth at its farthest point
(2) : a narrowly localized abstract spot used as a place of reference
conceived of a line drawn from a point into infinity
the shortest distance between any two points is a straight line
(3) : a particular place (as a city, town, or region) : locality
asked them what points they intended to visit
stopped at a number of points along the way
have come from distant points
b.
(1) : a particular narrowly limited often critical interval of time singled out as occurring at a precisely indicated moment and having usually minimum duration or no relevant duration : exact moment : precise instant : juncture
at this point he was interrupted
(2) : a time interval or set of circumstances occurring immediately or nearly immediately before something indicated : verge
was on the point of refusing
is at the very point of death
found her on the point of hysterics
c.
(1) : a particular narrowly limited step, stage, or degree in the condition or development of something that is typically singled out as critical or decisive or as otherwise highly significant or important
had reached the point where nothing seemed to matter anymore
arrived at the point of perfection
a high point of civilization
(2) : a definite measurable position in some kind of scale
the point at which water begins to boil
stock prices at their highest points
d.
(1) : one of the undefined elements of a geometric system and especially of a Euclidean geometric system ; also : an element of an aggregate determined by an ordered set equal in number to the number of dimensions of the aggregate
(2) : a real or complex number that is represented by a geometric point
5. obsolete
a. : conclusion , termination
b. : decision , resolution
6.
a. : the extreme terminal usually sharp or narrowly rounded part of something (as a sword, arrow, awl, pin, hook, indicator) that is usually formed by the gradual or abrupt decrease in width or thickness of the body which it terminates and that is typically used for piercing, pricking, indicating, or for some similar function : a usually sharp, tapering, or otherwise narrowly converging end : tip
the sharp point of a needle
forced the government on the people at the point of the sword
both points of an anchor
the point of a fishhook
a weather vane with its point turned toward the north
b. : something with such a point: as
(1) obsolete : a weapon used for stabbing or piercing
(2) : an instrument used in etching and engraving
(3) : a tool used in trimming and smoothing rough stone surfaces
(4) : an instrument used to test the hardness of a mineral or gem
c.
(1) : a piece of stone typically having a triangular shape and used chiefly by some prehistoric peoples as a tool or sometimes as a weapon
(2) : an arrowhead without cutting edges : pile
(3) : glazier's point
d.
(1) : a short steel pin placed in a printing press to perforate a sheet and so position it for register the next time it is run through the press — called also press point
(2) : a piece of steel placed in the furniture of a printing form to mark a sheet at a certain place as a guide for folding
(3) : a short sharp piece of serrated steel fastened to the furniture or a metal base in a printing form for slitting a sheet so that it can be registered on corresponding slits of a folding machine
(4) : pin 2 d
e.
(1) : a device with a tapered point that controls the increase or decrease of stitches (as in machine-knitted fabrics)
(2) : one of a series of needles in a lace machine used for controlling the size of the mesh
f. : a drivepipe through which steam or water is introduced into frozen gravel to thaw it for mining or dredging
g.
(1) : the contact or discharge extremity of an electric device (as a spark plug, contact break, lightning rod)
(2) chiefly Britain : an electric outlet : socket
7. : a projecting usually tapering part of something: as
a. : a piece of land (as a promontory, cape) projecting into a body of water
b. : a sharp prominence
beyond a point of rock
: apex , peak
the towering points of a mountain range
c. : the shaped end of one of the pieces of a leaf spring
d.
(1) : the tip of the chin
(2) : the tip of the foot
(3) : the tip of the tongue
(4) : a tine of an antler
(5) points plural : the extremities of an animal ; especially : the legs, mane, and tail of a horse
e.
(1) : point rail
(2) : a railroad switch
(3) : the tip of the angle between two rails in a railroad frog
f. : the head of the bow of a stringed instrument
8. : a short musical phrase:
a. archaic : a short phrase sounded as a signal (as in hunting, battle)
b.
(1) : a phrase (as a fugue subject) in contrapuntal music
(2) : the entry of such a phrase at one or the other part of a contrapuntal composition
9.
a.
(1) : a very small mark (as a dot, speck) on a surface : a tiny spot
a blue background that was touched up with little points of gold
(2) : something that in general size and appearance is suggestive of such a mark
points of light shone through the perforated paper
the pupil of the eye was contracted to a minute point
b. : a small mark used in writing or printing: as
(1) : punctuation mark ; especially : period
(2) : a simple or compound mark used as a supplementary mark (as for indicating vowels, differentiating letters similar in form, marking stress accent) in Semitic alphabets
(3) : dot I 2 e
(4) : decimal point
(5) : one of the small raised impressions used in braille
c. : a note in medieval music : punctus
10.
a. : a lace like a shoelace having aglet ends for tying parts of a garment or costume together and used especially in the 16th and 17th centuries
sleeves were joined to a bodice with points
hose was tied to the doublet with points
b. : reef point
c. : a short length of material (as silkworm gut, nylon) used in angling to attach an artificial fly to a leader
d. : a small piece of material (as gutta-percha, gold) used in dentistry as a temporary filling for teeth
11.
a. : one of nine particular divisions of a heraldic shield or escutcheon that determine the position of a charge ; especially : a horizontal segment located at the base of the field and bounded by two straight or concaved slanting lines that meet at or below the fess point
b. : one of the pendants of the label of a heraldic shield or escutcheon
12.
a.
(1) : one of the 32 precisely marked equidistant spots about the circumference of a compass card that indicate the direction in which the various parts of the horizon lie
(2) : the difference of 11 1/4 degrees between two such successive points
b. : a part of the horizon indicated precisely or approximately by one of the points of a compass card
13. : a small detachment probing ahead of and scouting for an advance guard or following behind and protecting a rear guard
14.
a. : lace: as
(1) : needlepoint 1
(2) : bobbin lace
b. obsolete : a piece of needlepoint used as a woman's head covering
c.
(1) : a stitch used in the making of lace or in producing canvas work or sometimes in producing other similar work
(2) : a line of fancy stitching on the back of a glove
d. : one of the stripes woven in the edge of a Hudson's Bay blanket to indicate the weight of the blanket
15. : one of 12 spaces marked off on each side of a backgammon board
16. : a unit of measurement (as of excellence, value, proficiency, extent): as
a.
(1) : a unit of counting in the scoring of a game, contest, or other competition or match
(2) : a unit used in evaluating the worth or strength of a hand in some card games (as bridge)
b.
(1) : a unit of academic credit used in many educational institutions and granted in larger or smaller multiples according to the grade achieved in a course
(2) : a unit of credit counting toward an individual's return from overseas military service or toward his release from military service and granted in larger or smaller multiples according to the length of service already done, the number of combat decorations awarded, or other qualifications
c. : a unit used in quoting prices of stocks, shares, and various commodities that is equivalent in the stock exchange of the United States to one dollar a share
d. : a unit that is used in Australia to measure the extent of rainfall and that is equivalent to 1/100 inch
e. : a unit that is used to measure the thickness of paper and paperboard and that is equivalent to 1/1000 inch
f. : a unit that is used to measure the size of type used in printing and that is 0.013837 or approximately 1/72 inch — see type illustration
g. : a unit used to measure the weight of diamonds that is equivalent to 1/100 carat
h. : a unit of value of coupons allotted for purchase of commodities in a rationing system
17. : the action of pointing: as
a. : the action of a hunting dog that scents or sees game and stiffens into an intently rigid attitude with head and gaze directed toward the game
b. : the action (as in some dance positions or movements) of extending one leg so that it supports no body weight and so that only the tips of the toes of the extended foot touch the floor
c. : a thrust or lunge made while fencing
18.
a. : a particular position of a player in some games: as
(1) : an off-side fielding position in cricket near the batsman and about in line with the popping crease — see cricket illustration
(2) : the position to the right of the goal in lacrosse
b. : the player of a particular position in some games
19.
a. : a run (as a cross-country run) made straight from one place to another
b. : the terminal place to which such a run is made
20. : one of the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 that if thrown on the come-out in the game of craps gives the shooter the right to continue throwing until he wins by throwing the same number or loses by throwing a 7
•
- at point
- in point
- in point of
- to point
- to the point
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English pointen, from Middle French pointer, partly from pointe point (sharp end), partly from point prick, small spot, dot — more at point I
transitive verb
1.
a. : to cause to have a sharp point : sharpen
pointing a pencil with a knife
b. : to give added force, emphasis, or piquancy to : give more point to
occasionally pointed his remarks by slyly wagging his forefinger — G.B.Shaw
— often used with up
pointed up his narrative with effective use of dialect
2.
a.
(1) : to finish (as a wall) by filling the joints with cement, mortar, or other material
(2) : to scratch out the old mortar from the joints of (as a wall) and fill in with new material — often used with up
pointed up the brickwork
b. : to trim and smooth the surface of (stone) with a sharp tool — often used with down
pointing down the block of granite
3.
a.
(1) : to mark the pauses or grammatical divisions in (something written or printed) : punctuate
pointing the text of a speech
(2) : to separate (a numerical figure) into groups by inserting a dot ; especially : to separate (a decimal fraction) from a whole number by inserting a decimal point — usually used with off
pointed off the last two figures of 125
b. : to mark (as Hebrew words or words of other Semitic languages) with vowel points or other differentiating points
4.
a.
(1) : to indicate the position or direction of especially by extending a finger toward the thing so indicated — usually used with out
pointed out the house where he used to live
pointing out places of interest as they drove along
(2) : to direct someone's attention to : call to someone's notice
pointed out that several mistakes had been made
pointing out the necessity of such a step
let me point out that I knew nothing about the matter
b. of a hunting dog : to indicate the presence and place of (game) by stiffening into an intently rigid attitude with head and gaze directed toward the place so indicated
a setter that points pheasant extraordinarily well
5.
a. : to cause to be turned in a particular direction or toward a particular thing : direct ; specifically : to cause the tip of (as a finger, stick, weapon, vehicle) to be extended, aimed, or turned in a particular direction or toward a particular thing
pointing the gun at the target
pointed the boat upstream
b. : to extend (a leg) in executing a point in dancing
6.
a. : to taper and finish off the end of (a cable or rope) by interweaving the nettles
b. : to insert reef points through the eyelet holes of (a sail)
c. : to brace up sharp (the yards of a ship)
7. : to insert white hairs into (furs) to improve the appearance
red fox dyed and pointed to imitate silver fox
8. : to locate especially in marble essential or selected points of (a piece of statuary) by drilling a hole to the proper depth at each point
pointing a block of marble before beginning to cut a statue
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to be of such a kind as to show or tend to show fairly convincingly the fact or probability of something specified : give or tend to give a fairly good indication of something specified — used with to or sometimes toward or at
everything points to a bright future for them
such symptoms point to a serious disorder
b. : to indicate the position or direction of something especially by extending a finger toward the thing so indicated
kept pointing through the window
— used with at, to, or toward before a specified object
pointed at the map on the wall
pointed to her brother and said he was the one
c. : to point game
a dog that points well
2.
a. : to lie extended, aimed, or turned in a particular direction or toward a particular thing
a directional arrow that pointed to the north
the boat was pointing upstream
an indicator that pointed toward an even number
b. : to execute a point in dancing
3. of an abscess : to come to a head
4. of a ship : to sail close to the wind — often used with up
would point up better on the port tack — Nelson Hayes
5. of a horse : to rest a forefoot on the toe or hold a forefoot forward to remove the weight of the body from it
6. : to make special intensive preparations for meeting a particular sports opponent — used with for
the team was pointing for the game with the neighboring college
III. noun
1.
a. : a percentage point of the face value of a loan often added as a placement fee or service charge
b. points plural : a share of the profits of a business venture
2. : credit accruing from creating a good impression — usually used in plural
he gets points for courage — Sally Quinn