POINT

point

(noun) sharp end; “he stuck the point of the knife into a tree”; “he broke the point of his pencil”

point, power point

(noun) a wall socket

point, gunpoint

(noun) the gun muzzle’s direction; “he held me up at the point of a gun”

point, spot

(noun) an outstanding characteristic; “his acting was one of the high points of the movie”

point

(noun) a distinguishing or individuating characteristic; “he knows my bad points as well as my good points”

point, pointedness

(noun) the property of a shape that tapers to a sharp tip

detail, item, point

(noun) an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; “several of the details are similar”; “a point of information”

point

(noun) a geometric element that has position but no extension; “a point is defined by its coordinates”

point

(noun) the object of an activity; “what is the point of discussing it?”

item, point

(noun) a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list; “he noticed an item in the New York Times”; “she had several items on her shopping list”; “the main point on the agenda was taken up first”

point

(noun) a brief version of the essential meaning of something; “get to the point”; “he missed the point of the joke”; “life has lost its point”

point, head

(noun) a V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer; “the point of the arrow was due north”

period, point, full stop, stop, full point

(noun) a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations; “in England they call a period a stop”

point

(noun) the precise location of something; a spatially limited location; “she walked to a point where she could survey the whole street”

point

(noun) a promontory extending out into a large body of water; “they sailed south around the point”

point

(noun) one percent of the total principal of a loan; it is paid at the time the loan is made and is independent of the interest on the loan

point

(noun) the unit of counting in scoring a game or contest; “he scored 20 points in the first half”; “a touchdown counts 6 points”

point

(noun) a linear unit used to measure the size of type; approximately 1/72 inch

point

(noun) a style in speech or writing that arrests attention and has a penetrating or convincing quality or effect

point, tip, peak

(noun) a V shape; “the cannibal’s teeth were filed to sharp points”

point, dot

(noun) a very small circular shape; “a row of points”; “draw lines between the dots”

degree, level, stage, point

(noun) a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process; “a remarkable degree of frankness”; “at what stage are the social sciences?”

point, point in time

(noun) an instant of time; “at that point I had to leave”

point, repoint

(verb) repair the joints of bricks; “point a chimney”

sharpen, taper, point

(verb) give a point to; “The candles are tapered”

bespeak, betoken, indicate, point, signal

(verb) be a signal for or a symptom of; “These symptoms indicate a serious illness”; “Her behavior points to a severe neurosis”; “The economic indicators signal that the euro is undervalued”

indicate, point, designate, show

(verb) indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively; “I showed the customer the glove section”; “He pointed to the empty parking space”; “he indicated his opponents”

target, aim, place, direct, point

(verb) intend (something) to move towards a certain goal; “He aimed his fists towards his opponent’s face”; “criticism directed at her superior”; “direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself”

charge, level, point

(verb) direct into a position for use; “point a gun”; “He charged his weapon at me”

point

(verb) be positionable in a specified manner; “The gun points with ease”

luff, point

(verb) sail close to the wind

steer, maneuver, manoeuver, manoeuvre, direct, point, head, guide, channelize, channelise

(verb) direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

orient, point

(verb) be oriented; “The weather vane points North”; “the dancers toes pointed outward”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

point (plural points)

A discrete division of something.

An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality. [from 13th c.]

A particular moment in an event or occurrence; a juncture. [from 13th c.]

(archaic) Condition, state. [from 13th c.]

A topic of discussion or debate; a proposition. [from 14th c.]

A focus of conversation or consideration; the main idea.

A purpose or objective, which makes something meaningful. [from 14th c.]

(obsolete) The smallest quantity of something; a jot, a whit. [14th-17th c.]

(obsolete) A tiny amount of time; a moment. [14th-17th c.]

A specific location or place, seen as a spatial position. [from 14th c.]

(mathematics, science) A zero-dimensional mathematical object representing a location in one or more dimensions; something considered to have position but no magnitude or direction. [from 14th c.]

A full stop or other terminal punctuation mark. [from 14th c.]

(music) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time. In ancient music, it distinguished or characterized certain tones or styles (points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.). In modern music, it is placed on the right of a note to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half.

(by extension) A note; a tune.

A distinguishing quality or characteristic. [from 15th c.]

(in the plural, dated) The chief or excellent features.

Something tiny, as a pinprick; a very small mark. [from 15th c.]

(now only in phrases) A tenth; formerly also a twelfth. [from 17th c.]

Each of the marks or strokes written above letters, especially in Semitic languages, to indicate vowels, stress etc. [from 17th c.]

(sports, video games, board games) A unit of scoring in a game or competition. [from 18th c.]

(mathematics) A decimal point (now especially when reading decimal fractions aloud). [from 18th c.]

(economics) A unit used to express differences in prices of stocks and shares. [from 19th c.]

(typography) a unit of measure equal to 1/12 of a pica, or approximately 1/72 of an inch (exactly 1/72 of an inch in the digital era). [from 19th c.]

(UK) An electric power socket. [from 20th c.]

(navigation, nautical) A unit of bearing equal to one thirty-second of a circle, i.e. 11.25°.

(UK) A unit of measure for rain, equal to 0.254 mm or 0.01 of an inch.

A sharp extremity.

The sharp tip of an object. [from 14th c.]

Any projecting extremity of an object. [from 14th c.]

An object which has a sharp or tapering tip. [from 14th c.]

(backgammon) Each of the twelve triangular positions in either table of a backgammon board, on which the stones are played. [from 15th c.]

A peninsula or promontory. [from 15th c.]

The position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force. [from 16th c.]

(by extension) An operational or public leadership position in a risky endeavor.

Each of the main directions on a compass, usually considered to be 32 in number; a direction. [from 16th c.]

(nautical) The difference between two points of the compass.

Pointedness of speech or writing; a penetrating or decisive quality of expression. [from 17th c.]

(railroads, UK, in the plural) A railroad switch. [from 19th c.]

(usually, in the plural) An area of contrasting colour on an animal, especially a dog; a marking. [from 19th c.]

A tine or snag of an antler.

(fencing) A movement executed with the sabre or foil.

(heraldry) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon.

(nautical) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails.

(historical) A string or lace used to tie together certain garments.

Lace worked by the needle.

(US, slang, dated) An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer.

The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game.

(falconry) The perpendicular rising of a hawk over the place where its prey has gone into cover.

The act of pointing, as of the foot downward in certain dance positions.

The gesture of extending the index finger in a direction in order to indicate something.

(medicine, obsolete) A vaccine point.

In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position.

(cricket) A fielding position square of the wicket on the off side, between gully and cover. [from 19th c.]

(lacrosse, ice hockey) The position of the player of each side who stands a short distance in front of the goalkeeper.

(baseball) The position of the pitcher and catcher.

(hunting) A spot to which a straight run is made; hence, a straight run from point to point; a cross-country run.

Synonyms

• (location or place): location, place, position, spot

• (in geometry): ord

• (particular moment in an event or occurrence): moment, ord, time

• (sharp tip): end, ord, tip

• (arithmetic symbol): spot, decimal point (name of the symbol; not used when reading decimal fractions aloud)

• (opinion): opinion, point of view, view, viewpoint

• (unit of measure of success or failure): mark (in a competition)

• (color of extremities of an animal)

Hyponyms

• accidental point

• accumulation point

• ballpoint

• basepoint

• basis point

• boiling point

• boundary point

• branch point

• break point

• brownie point

• bullet point

• cardinal point

• case in point

• cashpoint

• cloud point

• coincidence point

• commit point

• compass point

• consolute point

• critical point

• data point

• decimal point

• deep point

• demerit point

• dew point

• Didot point

• double point

• dropping point

• dry point

• drypoint

• endpoint

• end point

• eutectic point

• experience point

• fixed point

• flash point

• focal point

• freezing point

• game point

• gunpoint

• Hinkley Point

• hollow point

• inflection point

• infopoint

• isoelectric point

• isolated point

• knifepoint

• ligature point

• limit point

• match point

• melting point

• midpoint, mid-point

• moot point

• needlepoint

• nip point

• operating point

• ordinary point

• outpoint

• percentage point

• Pica point

• power point

• pressure point

• reference point

• seal point

• set point

• silly point

• SharePoint

• singular point

• skill point

• sore point

• standpoint

• starting point

• stationary point

• Stevens Point

• sticking point

• stress point

• subsolar point

• take point

• talking point

• tipping point

• trig point

• triple point

• transition point

• turning point

• vanishing point

• vantage point

• waypoint

• Wolf Point

• zero point

Etymology 2

Verb

point (third-person singular simple present points, present participle pointing, simple past and past participle pointed)

(intransitive) To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.

(intransitive) To draw attention to something or indicate a direction.

(intransitive) To face in a particular direction.

(transitive, sometimes, figurative) To direct toward an object; to aim.

To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end.

(intransitive) To indicate a probability of something.

(ambitransitive, masonry) To repair mortar.

(transitive, masonry) To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

(stone-cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool.

(transitive) To direct or encourage (someone) in a particular direction.

(transitive, mathematics) To separate an integer from a decimal with a decimal point.

(transitive) To mark with diacritics.

(dated) To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate.

(transitive, computing) To direct the central processing unit to seek information at a certain location in memory.

(transitive, Internet) To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address corresponding to that domain name.

(intransitive, nautical) To sail close to the wind.

(intransitive, hunting) To indicate the presence of game by a fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do.

(medicine, of an abscess) To approximate to the surface; to head.

(dated) To give point to (something said or done); to give particular prominence or force to.

Etymology 3

Verb

point (third-person singular simple present points, present participle pointing, simple past and past participle pointed)

(obsolete) To appoint.

Anagrams

• Pinto, opt in, opt-in, pinot, pinto, piton, potin

Etymology

Proper noun

the Point

(informal, military) USMA (United States Military Academy) in West Point, New York.

Anagrams

• Pinto, opt in, opt-in, pinot, pinto, piton, potin

Source: Wiktionary

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Point, v. t. & i.

Definition: To appoint. [Obs.] Spenser.

Point, n. Etym: [F. point, and probably also pointe, L. punctum, puncta, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent, and cf. Puncto, Puncture.]

1. That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

2. An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter's point; -- called also pointer.

3. Anything which tapers to a sharp, well-defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line.

4. The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick.

5. An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, -- sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced.

6. An indivisible portion of time; a moment; an instant; hence, the verge. When time's first point begun Made he all souls. Sir J. Davies.

7. A mark of punctuation; a character used to mark the divisions of a composition, or the pauses to be observed in reading, or to point off groups of figures, etc.; a stop, as a comma, a semicolon, and esp. a period; hence, figuratively, an end, or conclusion. And there a point, for ended is my tale. Chaucer. Commas and points they set exactly right. Pope.

8. Whatever serves to mark progress, rank, or relative position, or to indicate a transition from one state or position to another, degree; step; stage; hence, position or condition attained; as, a point of elevation, or of depression; the stock fell off five points; he won by tenpoints. "A point of precedence." Selden. "Creeping on from point to point." Tennyson. A lord full fat and in good point. Chaucer.

9. That which arrests attention, or indicates qualities or character; a salient feature; a characteristic; a peculiarity; hence, a particular; an item; a detail; as, the good or bad points of a man, a horse, a book, a story, etc. He told him, point for point, in short and plain. Chaucer. In point of religion and in point of honor. Bacon. Shalt thou dispute With Him the points of liberty Milton.

10. Hence, the most prominent or important feature, as of an argument, discourse, etc.; the essential matter; esp., the proposition to be established; as, the point of an anecdote. "Here lies the point." Shak. They will hardly prove his point. Arbuthnot.

11. A small matter; a trifle; a least consideration; a punctilio. This fellow doth not stand upon points. Shak. [He] cared not for God or man a point. Spenser.

12. (Mus.)

Definition: A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time; as: (a) (Anc. Mus.) A dot or mark distinguishing or characterizing certain tones or styles; as, points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.; hence, a note; a tune. "Sound the trumpet -- not a levant, or a flourish, but a point of war." Sir W. Scott. (b) (Mod. Mus.) A dot placed at the right hand of a note, to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half, as to make a whole note equal to three half notes, a half note equal to three quarter notes.

13. (Astron.)

Definition: A fixed conventional place for reference, or zero of reckoning, in the heavens, usually the intersection of two or more great circles of the sphere, and named specifically in each case according to the position intended; as, the equinoctial points; the solstitial points; the nodal points; vertical points, etc. See Equinoctial Nodal.

14. (Her.)

Definition: One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon.

15. (Naut.) (a) One of the points of the compass (see Points of the compass, below); also, the difference between two points of the compass; as, to fall off a point. (b) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. See Reef point, under Reef.

16. (Anc. Costume)

Definition: A a string or lace used to tie together certain parts of the dress. Sir W. Scott.

17. Lace wrought the needle; as, point de Venise; Brussels point. See Point lace, below.

18. pl. (Railways)

Definition: A switch. [Eng.]

19. An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. [Cant, U. S.]

20. (Cricket)

Definition: A fielder who is stationed on the off side, about twelve or fifteen yards from, and a little in advance of, the batsman.

21. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game; as, the dog came to a point. See Pointer.

22. (Type Making)

Definition: A standard unit of measure for the size of type bodies, being one twelfth of the thickness of pica type. See Point system of type, under Type.

23. A tyne or snag of an antler.

24. One of the spaces on a backgammon board.

25. (Fencing)

Definition: A movement executed with the saber or foil; as, tierce point.

Note: The word point is a general term, much used in the sciences, particularly in mathematics, mechanics, perspective, and physics, but generally either in the geometrical sense, or in that of degree, or condition of change, and with some accompanying descriptive or qualifying term, under which, in the vocabulary, the specific uses are explained; as, boiling point, carbon point, dry point, freezing point, melting point, vanishing point, etc. At all points, in every particular, completely; perfectly. Shak.

– At point, In point, At, In, or On, the point, as near as can be; on the verge; about (see About, prep., 6); as, at the point of death; he was on the point of speaking. "In point to fall down." Chaucer. "Caius Sidius Geta, at point to have been taken, recovered himself so valiantly as brought day on his side." Milton.

– Dead point. (Mach.) Same as Dead center, under Dead.

– Far point (Med.), in ophthalmology, the farthest point at which objects are seen distinctly. In normal eyes the nearest point at which objects are seen distinctly; either with the two eyes together (binocular near point), or with each eye separately (monocular near point).

– Nine points of the law, all but the tenth point; the greater weight of authority.

– On the point. See At point, above.

– Point lace, lace wrought with the needle, as distinguished from that made on the pillow.

– Point net, a machine-made lace imitating a kind of Brussels lace (Brussels ground).

– Point of concurrence (Geom.), a point common to two lines, but not a point of tangency or of intersection, as, for instance, that in which a cycloid meets its base.

– Point of contrary flexure, a point at which a curve changes its direction of curvature, or at which its convexity and concavity change sides.

– Point of order, in parliamentary practice, a question of order or propriety under the rules.

– Point of sight (Persp.), in a perspective drawing, the point assumed as that occupied by the eye of the spectator.

– Point of view, the relative position from which anything is seen or any subject is considered.

– Points of the compass (Naut.), the thirty-two points of division of the compass card in the mariner's compass; the corresponding points by which the circle of the horizon is supposed to be divided, of which the four marking the directions of east, west, north, and south, are called cardinal points, and the rest are named from their respective directions, as N. by E., N. N. E., N. E. by N., N. E., etc. See Illust. under Compass.

– Point paper, paper pricked through so as to form a stencil for transferring a design.

– Point system of type. See under Type.

– Singular point (Geom.), a point of a curve which possesses some property not possessed by points in general on the curve, as a cusp, a point of inflection, a node, etc.

– To carry one's point, to accomplish one's object, as in a controversy.

– To make a point of, to attach special importance to.

– To make, or gain, a point, accomplish that which was proposed; also, to make advance by a step, grade, or position.

– To mark, or score, a point, as in billiards, cricket, etc., to note down, or to make, a successful hit, run, etc.

– To strain a point, to go beyond the proper limit or rule; to stretch one's authority or conscience.

– Vowel point, in Hebrew, and certain other Eastern and ancient languages, a mark placed above or below the consonant, or attached to it, representing the vowel, or vocal sound, which precedes or follows the consonant.

Point, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pointed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pointing.] Etym: [Cf. F. pointer. See Point, n.]

1. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart, or a pencil. Used also figuratively; as, to point a moral.

2. To direct toward an abject; to aim; as, to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort.

3. Hence, to direct the attention or notice of. Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them. Pope.

4. To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate; as, to point a composition.

5. To mark (as Hebrew) with vowel points.

6. To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to indicate, as if by pointing; as, the error was pointed out. Pope. He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech. Dickens.

7. To indicate or discover by a fixed look, as game.

8. (Masonry)

Definition: To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

9. (Stone Cutting)

Definition: To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool. To point a rope (Naut.), to taper and neatly finish off the end by interweaving the nettles.

– To point a sail (Naut.), to affix points through the eyelet holes of the reefs.

– To point off, to divide into periods or groups, or to separate, by pointing, as figures.

– To point the yards (of a vessel) (Naut.), to brace them so that the wind shall strike the sails obliquely. Totten.

Point (point), v. i.

1. To direct the point of something, as of a finger, for the purpose of designating an object, and attracting attention to it; -- with at. Now must the world point at poor Katharine. Shak. Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe. Dryden.

2. To indicate the presence of game by fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do. He treads with caution, and he points with fear. Gay.

3. (Med.)

Definition: To approximate to the surface; to head; -- said of an abscess. To point at, to treat with scorn or contempt by pointing or directing attention to.

– To point well (Naut.), to sail close to the wind; -- said of a vessel.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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