English Dictionary

Definition of “pointing”

pointing (ˈpɔɪntɪŋ )

Definitions

noun

the act or process of repairing or finishing joints in brickwork, masonry, etc, with mortar
1. the insertion of marks to indicate the chanting of a psalm or the vowels in a Hebrew text
2. the sequence of marks so inserted

point (pɔɪnt )

Definitions

noun

a dot or tiny mark
a location, spot, or position
any dot or mark used in writing or printing, such as a decimal point or a full stop
short for vowel point
the sharp tapered end of a pin, knife, etc
a pin, needle, or other object having such a point
(mathematics)
1. a geometric element having no dimensions and whose position in space is located by means of its coordinates
2. a location ⇒ point of inflection
a promontory, usually smaller than a cape
a specific condition or degree
a moment ⇒ at that point he left the room
an important or fundamental reason, aim, etc ⇒ the point of this exercise is to train new teachers
an essential element or thesis in an argument ⇒ you've made your point, I take your point
a suggestion or tip
a detail or item
an important or outstanding characteristic, physical attribute, etc ⇒ he has his good points
a distinctive characteristic or quality of an animal, esp one used as a standard in judging livestock
often plural any of the extremities, such as the tail, ears, or feet, of a domestic animal
(ballet) often plural the tip of the toes
a single unit for measuring or counting, as in the scoring of a game
(Australian Rules football) an informal name for behind (sense 11)
(printing) a unit of measurement equal to one twelfth of a pica, or approximately 0.01384 inch. There are approximately 72 points to the inch
(finance)
1. a unit of value used to quote security and commodity prices and their fluctuations
2. a percentage unit sometimes payable by a borrower as a premium on a loan
(nautical)
1. one of the 32 marks on the circumference of a compass card indicating direction
2. the angle of 11°15′ between two adjacent marks
3. a point on the horizon indicated by such a mark
(cricket)
1. a fielding position at right angles to the batsman on the off side and relatively near the pitch
2. a fielder in this position
any of the numbers cast in the first throw in craps with which one neither wins nor loses by throwing them: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10
either of the two electrical contacts that make or break the current flow in the distributor of an internal-combustion engine
(British) often plural a junction of railway tracks in which a pair of rails can be moved so that a train can be directed onto either of two lines US and Canadian equivalent: switch
often plural a piece of ribbon, cord, etc, with metal tags at the end: used during the 16th and 17th centuries to fasten clothing
(backgammon) a place or position on the board
(British)
1. short for power point
2. an informal name for socket (sense 2)
an aggressive position adopted in bayonet or sword drill
(military) the position at the head of a body of troops, or a person in this position
the position of the body of a pointer or setter when it discovers game
(boxing) a mark awarded for a scoring blow, knockdown, etc
any diacritic used in a writing system, esp in a phonetic transcription, to indicate modifications of vowels or consonants
(jewellery) a unit of weight equal to 0.01 carat
the act of pointing
(ice hockey) the position just inside the opponents' blue line
See beside the point
See case in point
See in point of
See make a point of
See not to put too fine a point on it
See on the point of
See score points off
See stretch a point
See to the point
See up to a point

verb

usually foll by at or to to indicate the location or direction of by or as by extending (a finger or other pointed object) towards it ⇒ he pointed to the front door, don't point that gun at me
intr; usually foll by at or to to indicate or identify a specific person or thing among several ⇒ he pointed at the bottle he wanted, all evidence pointed to Donald as the murderer
tr to direct or cause to go or face in a specific direction or towards a place or goal ⇒ point me in the right direction
tr to sharpen or taper
intr (of gun dogs) to indicate the place where game is lying by standing rigidly with the muzzle turned in its direction
tr to finish or repair the joints of (brickwork, masonry, etc) with mortar or cement
tr (music) to mark (a psalm text) with vertical lines to indicate the points at which the music changes during chanting
to steer (a sailing vessel) close to the wind or (of a sailing vessel) to sail close to the wind
tr (phonetics) to provide (a letter or letters) with diacritics
tr to provide (a Hebrew or similar text) with vowel points

Word Origin

C13: from Old French: spot, from Latin punctum a point, from pungere to pierce; also influenced by Old French pointe pointed end, from Latin pungere