Adjacent Words

Point definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

POINT, n. [L. punctum, from pungo, to prick, properly to thrust, pret. pepugi, showing that n is not radical.]
1. The sharp end of any instrument or body; as the point of a knife, of a sword or of a thorn.
2. A string with a tag; as a silken point.
3. A small cape, headland or promontory; a tract of land extending into the sea, a lake or river, beyond the line of the shore, and becoming narrow at the end; as point Judith; Montauk point. It is smaller than a cape.
4. The sting of an epigram; a lively turn of thought or expression that strikes with force and agreeable surprise.
With periods, points and tropes he slurs his crimes.
5. An indivisible part of time or space. We say, a point of time, a point of space.
6. A small space; as a small point of land.
7. Punctilio; nicety; exactness of ceremony; as points of precedence.
8. Place near, next or contiguous to; verge; eve. He is on the point of departure, or at the point of death.
9. Exact place. He left off at the point where he began.
10. Degree; state of elevation, depression or extension; as, he has reached an extraordinary point of excellence. He has fallen to the lowest point of degradation.
11. A character used to mark the divisions of writing, or the pauses to be observed in reading or speaking; as the comma, semi-colon, colon and period. The period is called a full stop,as it marks the close of a sentence.
12. A spot; a part of a surface divided by spots or lines; as the ace or sise point.
13. In geometry, that which has neither parts nor magnitude.
A point is that which has position but not magnitude.
A point is a limit terminating a line.
14. In music, mark or note anciently used to distinguish tones or sounds. Hence, simple counterpoint is when a note of the lower part answers exactly to that of the upper, and figurative counterpoint, is when a note is syncopated and one of the parts makes several notes or inflections of the voice while the other holds on one.
15. In modern music, a dot placed by a note to raise its value or prolong its time by one half, so as to make a semibreve equal to three minims; a minim equal to three quavers, etc.
16. In astronomy, a division of the great circles of the horizon, and of the mariner's compass. The four cardinal points, are the east, west, north and south. On the space between two of these points, making a quadrant or quarter of a circle, the compass is marked with subordinate divisions, the whole number being thirty two points.
17. In astronomy, a certain place marked in the heavens, or distinguished for its importance in astronomical calculations. The zenith and nadir are called vertical points; the nodes are the points where the orbits of the planets intersect the plane of the ecliptic; the place where the equator and ecliptic intersect are called equinoctial points; the points of the ecliptic at which the departure of the sun from the equator, north and south, is terminated, are called solstitial points.
18. In perspective, a certain pole or place with regard to the perspective plane.
19. In manufactories, a lace or work wrought by the needle; as point le Venice, point de Genoa, etc. Sometimes the word is used for lace woven with bobbins. Point devise is used for needle work, or for nice work.
20. The place to which any thing is directed, or the direction in which an object is presented to the eye. We say, in this point of view, an object appears to advantage. In this or that point of view, the evidence is important.
21. Particular; single thing or subject. In what point do we differ? All points of controversy between the parties are adjusted. We say, in point of antiquity, in point of fact, in point of excellence. The letter in every point is admirable. The treaty is executed in every point.
22. Aim; purpose; thing to be reached or accomplished; as, to gain one's point.
23. The act of aiming or striking.
What a point your falcon made.
24. A single position; a single assertion; a single part of a complicated question or of a whole.
These arguments are not sufficient to prove the point.
Strange point and new!
Doctrine which we would know whence learned.
25. A note or tune.
Turning your tongue divine
To a loud trumpet, and a point of war.
26. In heraldry, points are the several different parts of the escutcheon, denoting the local positions of figures.
27. In electricity, the acute termination of a body which facilitates the passage of the fluid to or from the body.
28. In gunnery, point-blank denotes the shot of a gun leveled horizontally. The point-blank range is the extent of the apparent right line of a ball discharged. In shooting point-blank,the ball is supposed to move directly to the object, without a curve. Hence adverbially, the word is equivalent to directly.
29. In marine language, points are flat pieces of braided cordage, tapering from the middle towards each end; used in reefing the courses and top-sails of square-rigged vessels.
Point de vise, [Fr.] exactly in the point of view.
Vowel-points, in the Hebrew and other eastern languages, are certain marks placed above or below the consonants, or attached to them, as in the Ethiopic, representing the vocal sounds or vowels, which precede or follow the articulations.
The point, the subject; the main question; the precise thing to be considered, determined or accomplished. This argument may be true, but it is not to the point.
POINT, v.t. To sharpen; to cut, forge, grind or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart or a pin; also, to taper, as a rope.
1. To direct towards an object or place, to show its position, or excite attention to it; as, to point the finger at an object; to point the finger of scorn at one.
2. To direct the eye or notice.
Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them, would see nothing but subjects of surprise.
3. To aim; to direct towards an object; as, to point a musket at a wolf; to point a cannon at a gate.
4. To mark with characters for the purpose of distinguishing the members of a sentence, and designating the pauses; as, to point a written composition.
5. To mark with vowel-points.
6. To appoint. [Not in use.]
7. To fill the joints with mortar, and smooth them with the point of a trowel; as, to point a wall.
To point out, to show by the finger or by other means.
To point a sail, to affix points through the eyelet-holes of the reefs.
POINT, v.i. To direct the finger for designating an object, and exciting attention to it; with at.
Now must the world point at poor Catherine.
Point at the tatter'd coat and ragged shoe.
1. To indicate, as dogs do to sportsmen.
He treads with caution, and he points with fear.
2. To show distinctly by any means.
To point at what time the balance of power was most equally held between the lords and commons at Rome, would perhaps admit a controversy.
3. To fill the joints or crevices of a wall with mortar.
4. In the rigging of a ship, to taper the end of a rope or splice, and work over the reduced part a small close netting, with an even number of knittles twisted from the same.
To point at, to treat with scorn or contempt by pointing or directing attention to.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a geometric element that has position but no extension; "a point is defined by its coordinates"
2: the precise location of something; a spatially limited location; "she walked to a point where she could survey the whole street"
3: 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"
4: an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of information" [syn: detail, item, point]
5: 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?" [syn: degree, level, stage, point]
6: an instant of time; "at that point I had to leave" [syn: point, point in time]
7: the object of an activity; "what is the point of discussing it?"
8: a V shape; "the cannibal's teeth were filed to sharp points" [syn: point, tip, peak]
9: a very small circular shape; "a row of points"; "draw lines between the dots" [syn: point, dot]
10: the unit of counting in scoring a game or contest; "he scored 20 points in the first half"; "a touchdown counts 6 points"
11: a promontory extending out into a large body of water; "they sailed south around the point"
12: 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" [syn: item, point]
13: a style in speech or writing that arrests attention and has a penetrating or convincing quality or effect
14: an outstanding characteristic; "his acting was one of the high points of the movie" [syn: point, spot]
15: sharp end; "he stuck the point of the knife into a tree"; "he broke the point of his pencil"
16: any of 32 horizontal directions indicated on the card of a compass; "he checked the point on his compass" [syn: compass point, point]
17: a linear unit used to measure the size of type; approximately 1/72 inch
18: 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
19: 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" [syn: period, point, full stop, stop, full point]
20: a V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer; "the point of the arrow was due north" [syn: point, head]
21: the dot at the left of a decimal fraction [syn: decimal point, percentage point, point]
22: the property of a shape that tapers to a sharp tip [syn: point, pointedness] [ant: unpointedness]
23: a distinguishing or individuating characteristic; "he knows my bad points as well as my good points"
24: the gun muzzle's direction; "he held me up at the point of a gun" [syn: point, gunpoint]
25: a wall socket [syn: point, power point]
26: a contact in the distributor; as the rotor turns its projecting arm contacts them and current flows to the spark plugs [syn: distributor point, breaker point, point] v
1: 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" [syn: indicate, point, designate, show]
2: be oriented; "The weather vane points North"; "the dancers toes pointed outward" [syn: orient, point]
3: direct into a position for use; "point a gun"; "He charged his weapon at me" [syn: charge, level, point]
4: direct the course; determine the direction of travelling [syn: steer, maneuver, manoeuver, manoeuvre, direct, point, head, guide, channelize, channelise]
5: 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" [syn: bespeak, betoken, indicate, point, signal]
6: sail close to the wind [syn: luff, point]
7: mark (Hebrew words) with diacritics
8: mark with diacritics; "point the letter"
9: mark (a psalm text) to indicate the points at which the music changes
10: be positionable in a specified manner; "The gun points with ease"
11: 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" [syn: target, aim, place, direct, point]
12: indicate the presence of (game) by standing and pointing with the muzzle; "the dog pointed the dead duck"
13: give a point to; "The candles are tapered" [syn: sharpen, taper, point]
14: repair the joints of bricks; "point a chimney" [syn: point, repoint]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, partly from Anglo-French, prick, dot, moment, from Latin punctum, from neuter of punctus, past participle of pungere to prick; partly from Anglo-French pointe sharp end, from Vulgar Latin *puncta, from Latin, feminine of punctus, past participle — more at pungent Date: 13th century 1. a. (1) an individual detail ; item (2) a distinguishing detail <tact is one of her strong points> b. the most important essential in a discussion or matter <missed the whole point of the joke> c. cogency 2. obsolete physical condition 3. an end or object to be achieved ; purpose <did not see what point there was in continuing the discussion> 4. a. a geometric element that has zero dimensions and a location determinable by an ordered set of coordinates b. (1) a narrowly localized place having a precisely indicated position <walked to a point 50 yards north of the building> (2) a particular place ; locality <have come from distant points> c. (1) an exact moment <at this point I was interrupted> (2) a time interval immediately before something indicated ; verge <at the point of death> d. (1) a particular step, stage, or degree in development <had reached the point where nothing seemed to matter anymore> (2) a definite position in a scale 5. a. the terminal usually sharp or narrowly rounded part of something ; tip b. a weapon or tool having such a part and used for stabbing or piercing: as (1) arrowhead (2) spearhead c. (1) the contact or discharge extremity of an electric device (as a spark plug or distributor) (2) chiefly British an electric outlet 6. a. a projecting usually tapering piece of land or a sharp prominence b. (1) the tip of a projecting body part (2) tine 2 (3) plural the extremities or markings of the extremities of an animal especially when of a color differing from the rest of the body c. a railroad switch d. the head of the bow of a stringed instrument 7. a short musical phrase; especially a phrase in contrapuntal music 8. a. a very small mark b. (1) punctuation mark; especially period 5a (1) (2) decimal point 9. a lace for tying parts of a garment together used especially in the 16th and 17th centuries 10. one of usually 11 divisions of a heraldic shield that determines the position of a charge 11. a. one of the 32 equidistant spots of a compass card for indicating direction b. the difference of 11 1/4 degrees between two such successive points c. a direction indicated by a compass point <from all points of the compass> 12. a small detachment ahead of an advance guard or behind a rear guard 13. a. needlepoint 1 b. lace made with a bobbin 14. one of 12 spaces marked off on each side of a backgammon board 15. a unit of measurement: as a. (1) a unit of counting in the scoring of a game or contest (2) a unit used in evaluating the strength of a bridge hand b. a unit of academic credit c. (1) a unit used in quoting prices (as of stocks, bonds, and commodities) (2) plural a percentage of the face value of a loan often added as a placement fee or service charge (3) a percentage of the profits of a business venture (as a motion-picture production) d. a unit of about frac1/72 inch used especially to measure the size of type 16. the action of pointing: as a. the rigidly intent attitude of a hunting dog marking game for a gunner b. the action in dancing of extending one leg and arching the foot so that only the tips of the toes touch the floor 17. a position of a player in various games (as lacrosse); also the player of such a position 18. a number thrown on the first roll of the dice in craps which the player attempts to repeat before throwing a seven — compare missout, pass 13 19. credit accruing from creating a good impression <scored points for hard work> II. verb Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to furnish with a point ; sharpen <pointing a pencil with a knife> b. to give added force, emphasis, or piquancy to <point up a remark> 2. to scratch out the old mortar from the joints of (as a brick wall) and fill in with new material 3. a. (1) to mark the pauses or grammatical divisions in ; punctuate (2) to separate (a decimal fraction) from an integer by a decimal point — usually used with off b. to mark (as Hebrew words) with diacritics (as vowel points) 4. a. (1) to indicate the position or direction of especially by extending a finger <point the way home> (2) to direct someone's attention to <point the way to new knowledge — Elizabeth Hall> — usually used with out or up <point out a mistake> <points up the difference> b. of a hunting dog to indicate the presence and place of (game) by a point 5. a. to cause to be turned in a particular direction <point a gun> <pointed the boat upstream> b. to extend (a leg) and arch (the foot) in executing a point in dancing intransitive verb 1. a. to indicate the fact or probability of something specified <everything points to a bright future> b. to indicate the position or direction of something especially by extending a finger <point at the map> c. to direct attention <can point with pride to their own traditions> d. to point game <a dog that points well> 2. a. to lie extended, aimed, or turned in a particular direction <a directional arrow that pointed to the north> b. to execute a point in dancing 3. of a ship to sail close to the wind 4. to train for a particular contest

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the sharp or tapered end of a tool, weapon, pencil, etc. 2 a tip or extreme end. 3 that which in geometry has position but not magnitude, e.g. the intersection of two lines. 4 a particular place or position (Bombay and points east; point of contact). 5 a a precise or particular moment (at the point of death). b the critical or decisive moment (when it came to the point, he refused). 6 a very small mark on a surface. 7 a a dot or other punctuation mark, esp. = full point = FULL(1). b a dot or small stroke used in Semitic languages to indicate vowels or distinguish consonants. 8 = decimal point. 9 a stage or degree in progress or increase (abrupt to the point of rudeness; at that point we gave up). 10 a level of temperature at which a change of state occurs (freezing-point). 11 a single item; a detail or particular (we differ on these points; it is a point of principle). 12 a a unit of scoring in games or of measuring value etc. b an advantage or success in less quantifiable contexts such as an argument or discussion. c a unit of weight (2 mg) for diamonds. d a unit (of varying value) in quoting the price of stocks etc. 13 a (usu. prec. by the) the significant or essential thing; what is actually intended or under discussion (that was the point of the question). b (usu. with neg. or interrog.; often foll. by in) sense or purpose; advantage or value (saw no point in staying). c (usu. prec. by the) a salient feature of a story, joke, remark, etc. (don't see the point). 14 a distinctive feature or characteristic (it has its points; tact is not his good point). 15 pungency, effectiveness (their comments lacked point). 16 a each of 32 directions marked at equal distances round a compass. b the corresponding direction towards the horizon. 17 (usu. in pl.) Brit. a junction of two railway lines, with a pair of linked tapering rails that can be moved laterally to allow a train to pass from one line to the other. 18 Brit. = power point. 19 (usu. in pl.) each of a set of electrical contacts in the distributor of a motor vehicle. 20 Cricket a a fielder on the off side near the batsman. b this position. 21 the tip of the toe in ballet. 22 a promontory. 23 the prong of a deer's antler. 24 the extremities of a dog, horse, etc. 25 Printing a unit of measurement for type bodies (in the UK and US 0.0138 in., in Europe 0.0148 in.). 26 Hunting a a spot to which a straight run is made. b such a run. 27 Heraldry any of nine particular positions on a shield used for specifying the position of charges etc. 28 Boxing the tip of the chin as a spot for a knockout blow. 29 Mil. a small leading party of an advanced guard. 30 hist. a tagged lace for lacing a bodice, attaching a hose to a doublet, etc. 31 Naut. a short piece of cord at the lower edge of a sail for tying up a reef. 32 the act or position of a dog in pointing. --v. 1 (usu. foll. by to, at) a tr. direct or aim (a finger, weapon, etc.). b intr. direct attention in a certain direction (pointed to the house across the road). 2 intr. (foll. by at, towards) a aim or be directed to. b tend towards. 3 intr. (foll. by to) indicate; be evidence of (it all points to murder). 4 tr. give point or force to (words or actions). 5 tr. fill in or repair the joints of (brickwork) with smoothly finished mortar or cement. 6 tr. a punctuate. b insert points in (written Hebrew etc.). c mark (Psalms etc.) with signs for chanting. 7 tr. sharpen (a pencil, tool, etc.). 8 tr. (also absol.) (of a dog) indicate the presence of (game) by acting as pointer. Phrases and idioms: at all points in every part or respect. at the point of (often foll. by verbal noun) on the verge of; about to do (the action specified). beside the point irrelevant or irrelevantly. case in point an instance that is relevant or (prec. by the) under consideration. have a point be correct or effective in one's contention. in point apposite, relevant. in point of fact see FACT. make (or prove) a (or one's) point establish a proposition; prove one's contention. make a point of (often foll. by verbal noun) insist on; treat or regard as essential. nine points nine tenths, i.e. nearly the whole (esp. possession is nine points of the law). on (or upon) the point of (foll. by verbal noun) about to do (the action specified). point-duty the positioning of a police officer or traffic warden at a crossroad or other point to control traffic. point lace thread lace made wholly with a needle. point of honour an action or circumstance that affects one's reputation. point of no return a point in a journey or enterprise at which it becomes essential or more practical to continue to the end. point of order a query in a debate etc. as to whether correct procedure is being followed. point-of-sale (usu. attrib.) denoting publicity etc. associated with the place at which goods are retailed. point of view 1 a position from which a thing is viewed. 2 a particular way of considering a matter. point out (often foll. by that + clause) indicate, show; draw attention to. point-to-point a steeplechase over a marked course for horses used regularly in hunting. point up emphasize; show as important. score points off get the better of in an argument etc. take a person's point concede that a person has made a valid contention. to the point relevant or relevantly. up to a point to some extent but not completely. win on points Boxing win by scoring more points, not by a knockout. Etymology: ME f. OF point, pointer f. L punctum f. pungere punct- prick

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lubber Lub"ber, n. [Cf. dial. Sw. lubber. See Looby, Lob.] A heavy, clumsy, or awkward fellow; a sturdy drone; a clown. Lingering lubbers lose many a penny. --Tusser. Land lubber, a name given in contempt by sailors to a person who lives on land. Lubber grasshopper (Zo["o]l.), a large, stout, clumsy grasshopper; esp., Brachystola magna, from the Rocky Mountain plains, and Romalea microptera, which is injurious to orange trees in Florida. Lubber's hole (Naut.), a hole in the floor of the ``top,'' next the mast, through which sailors may go aloft without going over the rim by the futtock shrouds. It is considered by seamen as only fit to be used by lubbers. --Totten. Lubber's line, point, or mark, a line or point in the compass case indicating the head of the ship, and consequently the course which the ship is steering.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Point Point, n. 1. (Med.) A pointed piece of quill or bone covered at one end with vaccine matter; -- called also vaccine point. 2. One of the raised dots used in certain systems of printing and writing for the blind. The first practical system was that devised by Louis Braille in 1829, and still used in Europe (see Braille). Two modifications of this are current in the United States: New York point founded on three bases of equidistant points arranged in two lines (viz., : :: :::), and a later improvement, American Braille, embodying the Braille base (:::) and the New-York-point principle of using the characters of few points for the commonest letters. 3. In technical senses: (a) In various games, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player himself; as: (1) (Lacrosse & Ice Hockey) The position of the player of each side who stands a short distance in front of the goal keeper; also, the player himself. (2) (Baseball) (pl.) The position of the pitcher and catcher. (b) (Hunting) A spot to which a straight run is made; hence, a straight run from point to point; a cross-country run. [Colloq. Oxf. E. D.] (c) (Falconry) The perpendicular rising of a hawk over the place where its prey has gone into cover. (d) Act of pointing, as of the foot downward in certain dance positions.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Point Point (point), v. t. & i. To appoint. [Obs.] --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Point Point, n. [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.) 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.) 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.) 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) 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) A switch. [Eng.] 19. An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. [Cant, U. S.] 20. (Cricket) 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) 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) 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Point Point, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pointed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pointing.] [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) 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) 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Point 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.) 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(points, pointing, pointed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. You use point to refer to something that someone has said or written. We disagree with every point Mr Blunkett makes... The following tale will clearly illustrate this point. N-COUNT 2. If you say that someone has a point, or if you take their point, you mean that you accept that what they have said is important and should be considered. 'If he'd already killed once, surely he'd have killed Sarah?' She had a point there... N-SING: a N, poss N 3. The point of what you are saying or discussing is the most important part that provides a reason or explanation for the rest. 'Did I ask you to talk to me?'—'That's not the point.'... The American Congress and media mostly missed the point about all this. N-SING: the N 4. If you ask what the point of something is, or say that there is no point in it, you are indicating that a particular action has no purpose or would not be useful. What was the point of thinking about him?... There was no point in staying any longer. N-SING: usu N of/in n/-ing 5. A point is a detail, aspect, or quality of something or someone. The most interesting point about the village was its religion... Science was never my strong point at school. N-COUNT: usu with supp 6. A point is a particular place or position where something happens. The pain originated from a point in his right thigh. N-COUNT 7. You use point to refer to a particular time, or to a particular stage in the development of something. We're all going to die at some point... At this point Diana arrived... It got to the point where he had to leave. N-SING: with supp, oft at N 8. The point of something such as a pin, needle, or knife is the thin, sharp end of it. N-COUNT: oft N of n 9. In spoken English, you use point to refer to the dot or mark in a decimal number that separates the whole numbers from the fractions. Inflation at nine point four percent is the worst for eight years. 10. In some sports, competitions, and games, a point is one of the single marks that are added together to give the total score. They lost the 1977 World Cup final to Australia by a single point... N-COUNT 11. The points of the compass are directions such as North, South, East, and West. Sightseers arrived from all points of the compass. N-COUNT: usu with supp 12. On a railway track, the points are the levers and rails at a place where two tracks join or separate. The points enable a train to move from one track to another. (BRIT; in AM, use switches) ...the rattle of the wheels across the points. N-PLURAL 13. A point is an electric socket. (BRIT) ...too far away from the nearest electrical point. N-COUNT: usu supp N 14. If you point at a person or thing, you hold out your finger towards them in order to make someone notice them. I pointed at the boy sitting nearest me... He pointed to a chair, signalling for her to sit. VERB: V at n, V to n 15. If you point something at someone, you aim the tip or end of it towards them. David Khan pointed his finger at Mary... A man pointed a gun at them and pulled the trigger. VERB: V n at n, V n at n 16. If something points to a place or points in a particular direction, it shows where that place is or it faces in that direction. An arrow pointed to the toilets... You can go anywhere and still the compass points north or south... VERB: V prep/adv, V prep/adv 17. If something points to a particular situation, it suggests that the situation exists or is likely to occur. Private polls and embassy reports pointed to a no vote. VERB: V to n 18. If you point to something that has happened or that is happening, you are using it as proof that a particular situation exists. George Fodor points to other weaknesses in the way the campaign has progressed... VERB: V to n 19. When builders point a wall, they put a substance such as cement into the gaps between the bricks or stones in order to make the wall stronger and seal it. VERB: V n 20. see also pointed, breaking point, focal point, point of sale, point of view, power point, sticking point, vantage point 21. If you say that something is beside the point, you mean that it is not relevant to the subject that you are discussing. Brian didn't like it, but that was beside the point. = irrelevant PHRASE: v-link PHR 22. When someone comes to the point or gets to the point, they start talking about the thing that is most important to them. Was she ever going to get to the point? PHRASE: V inflects 23. If you make your point or prove your point, you prove that something is true, either by arguing about it or by your actions or behaviour. I think you've made your point, dear... The tie-break proved the point. PHRASE: V inflects 24. If you make a point of doing something, you do it in a very deliberate or obvious way. She made a point of spending as much time as possible away from Osborne House. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR -ing 25. If you are on the point of doing something, you are about to do it. He was on the point of saying something when the phone rang... She looked on the point of tears. PHRASE: v-link PHR n/-ing 26. Something that is to the point is relevant to the subject that you are discussing, or expressed neatly without wasting words or time. The description which he had been given was brief and to the point. PHRASE: v-link PHR 27. If you say that something is true up to a point, you mean that it is partly but not completely true. 'Was she good?'—'Mmm. Up to a point.' PHRASE: PHR with cl 28. a case in point: see case in point of fact: see fact to point the finger at someone: see finger a sore point: see sore

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Sharp end. 2. Cape, headland, projection, promontory, naze. 3. Moment, instant, period, verge, eve. 4. Spot, place, station, stage. 5. Degree, grade, state, condition, rank. 6. Object, end, aim, purpose, design. 7. Punctilio, nicety, pique, trifling concern. 8. Question, position, thesis, theme, proposition, text, subject-matter, moot point. 9. Respect, particular aspect, matter, single thing. 10. Characteristic, peculiarity, salient trait. 11. Mark (as of punctuation), character, stop. 12. Dot, speck. 13. Sally, witticism, flash of wit, lively turn of thought, epigram, quip, quirk, jeu d'esprit. 14. Poignancy, sting. 15. Lace worked by the needle, point-lace, needle-lace. II. v. a. 1. Sharpen, make pointed. 2. Aim, level, direct. 3. Indicate, designate, show, point out, direct attention to. 4. Punctuate.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To stretch a point; to exceed some usual limit, to take a great stride. Breeches were usually tied up with points, a kind of short laces, formerly given away by the churchwardens at Whitsuntide, under the denomination of tags: by taking a great stride these were stretched.

Moby Thesaurus

L, Thule, Ultima Thule, abode, accent, accentuate, ace, acerbity, acidity, acme, acridity, acrimony, aculeate, aculeus, acuminate, acumination, address, advance guard, advantage, affective meaning, aim, aim at, airhead, allude to, ambition, amount, analyze, ancestor, angle, animus, announcer, antecedent, antler, apex, apogee, applicability, applicable, application, apposite, appropriate, appropriateness, apropos, apt, area, article, as regards, ascender, aspect, aspiration, astringency, atom, attribute, auger, avail, avant-garde, awl, ax, azimuth, back, barb, barbed wire, barblet, barbule, barbwire, basis, bastard type, battle line, beachhead, bear, beard, bearing, bearings, behalf, behoof, bellwether, belly, belly laugh, bench mark, bend, bend to, benefit, bent, beside the point, bevel, bias, bifurcation, bight, bill, birthmark, bit, bite, bitter end, bitterness, black letter, blade, blaze, blaze a trail, blemish, blotch, blue story, bodkin, body, borer, bottom, bottom dollar, boundary, bracket, bradawl, brand, breakwater, bridgehead, bring up, brink, brow, buccinator, burden, burin, bushwhacker, butt, butt end, caesura, caliber, call attention to, caltrop, cant, cap, cape, capital, cardinal point, carpet tack, case, cast, caste mark, causticity, chalk, chalk up, chapter, character, characteristic, check, check off, checkmark, chersonese, cheval-de-frise, chevron, chief thing, chisel, cicatrix, cicatrize, circumstantial, circumstantiality, climax, cloud nine, cockspur, coin, cold steel, colon, coloring, comma, compass, concern, concerning, conduce, conjugate, connotation, consideration, constituent, contribute, convenience, coral reef, core, corner, cornerstone, counsel, count, counter, course, crank, crest, crisis, critical point, crook, crotchet, crown, crumb, crux, culmen, culmination, current, cusp, cuspidate, cut, cutlery, cutter, dab, dagger, dapple, dash, datum, day, decimal point, decline, define, deflection, degree, delimit, delta, demarcate, denotation, descend, descender, desideration, desideratum, design, designate, desire, detail, details, determination, determine, diacritical mark, dibble, die, direct, direct attention to, direction, direction line, directionize, dirty joke, dirty story, discolor, discoloration, dispose, district, dogleg, dole, dot, double entendre, dram, dribble, driblet, drift, drill, drop, droplet, dwarf, earmark, edge, edge tools, effect, elbow, element, ell, em, emphasize, emplacement, en, end stop, engrave, engraving, engraving tool, entity, essence, essential, essential matter, etching ball, etching ground, etching needle, etching point, ethnic joke, exhibit, explorer, extension, extent, extreme, extreme limit, extremity, face, facet, fact, factor, fag end, farthest bound, farthest outpost, farthing, fat-faced type, fateful moment, feature, feet, fid, fierceness, file, first line, fishhook, fitting, fix, fix on, fixed purpose, fleck, flick, flyspeck, focus, focus of attention, focus of interest, font, force, forebear, forefront, foregoer, foreland, forerunner, fork, fragment, freckle, front line, front rank, front runner, front-runner, frontiersman, fugleman, full stop, fun, function, fundamental, funny story, furcation, gaff, gag, gash, germane, gimlet, gist, gnat, go, goad, goal, gobbet, good one, good story, grade, grain, grammatical meaning, granule, gravamen, graver, graving, gravitate, great point, grind, grip, groat, groove, groundbreaker, guide, guts, hack, hair, handful, harbinger, harpoon, harshness, hat pin, hatch, have a tendency, head, heading, headland, heart, heaven, heavens, height, helmsmanship, herald, high noon, high point, highest pitch, highest point, hilltop, hint, hold a heading, hold on, hole, hone, hook, horn, hour, howler, hyphenate, icepick, idea, identify, immaterial, impact, implication, imply, import, important thing, impress, imprint, in point of, in reference to, inappropriate, inapt, incidental, inclination, incline, inconsequential, indicate, individual, inflect, inflection, innovator, instance, instant, intaglio, integer, intendment, intension, intent, intention, interest, interval, iota, irrelevant, issue, italic, item, jape, jest, jestbook, joke, jot, jumping-off place, juncture, kairos, keenness, kernel, keystone, knee, knife, knoll, lance, lancet, landmark, latitude and longitude, laugh, lay, lead, lead runner, leader, lean, leap, lentigo, letter, level, level at, lexical meaning, lie, lieu, ligature, limit, line, line of direction, line of march, literal meaning, little, little bit, living issue, locale, locality, location, locus, lofty peak, logotype, look to, lower case, macula, main point, main thing, majuscule, make a mark, malapropos, mallet, mark, mark off, mark out, marking, marlinespike, material, material point, matter, matter in hand, maximum, meaning, measure, meat, mention, meridian, messenger, microbe, microorganism, midge, milestone, mind, minim, minimum, minor detail, minuscule, minute, minutia, minutiae, mite, modeling clay, modicum, module, mole, molecule, moment, moment of truth, mordacity, mordancy, mote, motif, motive, mottle, mountaintop, mucro, mull, nail, naked steel, navigation, naze, ne plus ultra, neb, needle, ness, nevus, nib, nicety, nick, nisus, no place higher, nook, noon, notch, notion, nuance, nub, nucleus, nutshell, object, objective, oilstone, orientation, ounce, outguard, outpost, overtone, oxgoad, panic, parenthesize, parse, part, particle, particular, pas, patch, pathfinder, pause, peak, pebble, peg, pencil, peninsula, pepper, percentage, period, person, persona, pertinence, pertinent, pi, pic, pica, pico, piece of advice, pigsticker, pike, piloting, pin, pinch, pinhead, pinnacle, pinpoint, pioneer, pitch, pitchfork, pith, pittance, pivot, place, place emphasis on, placement, plan, plane, plateau, play, plunge, poignancy, point at, point at issue, point in question, point out, point to, point up, pointer, pointless, pole, polka dot, position, precedent, precipice, precipitate, precursor, predecessor, pregnant moment, present, prick, prickle, print, problem, profit, project, projection, promontory, prong, property, proportion, proposal, prospectus, psychological moment, punch, punctuate, punctuation, punctuation marks, puncture, puncturer, purport, purpose, quality, quarter, question, quiddity, quill, quoin, railhead, range, range of meaning, ratio, reach, real issue, real meaning, redound to, reef, reference, reference mark, referent, regard, regarding, region, relation, relevance, relevant, remind, remove, reset, resolution, resolve, respect, rib tickler, riddle, ridge, rigor, riot, rocker, roman, roughness, round, rowel, rubric, run, rung, sake, salient point, sandspit, sans serif, say, scale, scar, scarification, scarify, scope, score, scorper, scotch, scout, scrap, scratch, scratching, scream, script, scruple, seal, seam, season, semantic cluster, semantic field, semicolon, sense, serve, service, set, set toward, settle, seventh heaven, severity, shade, shadow, shank, sharpen, sharpener, sharpness, shoulder, show, show a tendency, sick joke, side, sidesplitter, sight gag, sight on, significance, signification, significatum, signifie, sine qua non, single, single out, singleton, sink, site, situation, situs, skewer, sky, small cap, small capital, smidgen, smitch, snip, snippet, solder, soldering iron, something, soul, space, span, span of meaning, spatula, spearhead, specifics, speck, speckle, spell, spiculate, spicule, spiculum, spike, spine, spire, spirit, spit, splash, splotch, spoonful, sport, spot, spotlight, spur, stage, stain, stair, stamp, standard, staple, station, stead, steel, steer, steerage, steering, stem, step, stigma, stigmatize, sting, stint, stop, stormy petrel, story, strap, strawberry mark, streak, stress, stretch, striate, stridency, stringency, stripe, striving, strop, structural meaning, stub, study, stump, style, subject, subject matter, subject of thought, subside, substance, substantive point, suggest, suggestion, sum, sum and substance, summit, swerve, sword, symbolic meaning, tack, tactic, tag, tag end, tail, tail end, tally, tang, taper, tartness, tattoo, tattoo mark, teeth, tend, tend to go, tendency, tenor, text, the bottom line, the point, theme, thimbleful, thing, thought, thrust, thumbtack, tick, tick off, time, time lag, tine, tiny bit, tip, tip-top, tittle, to the point, toad sticker, tongue, top, topic, tor, totality of associations, trace, track, trailblazer, trailbreaker, train, train upon, trait, transferred meaning, tread, trenchancy, trend, trifling amount, trivia, turn, turn upon, turning point, type, type body, type class, type lice, typecase, typeface, typefounders, typefoundry, unadorned meaning, underline, underscore, undertone, unimportant, unit, upmost, upper case, upper extremity, uppermost, use, utmost, value, van, vanguard, vanishing point, vaunt-courier, veer, vehemence, verge, vertex, very top, view, violence, virulence, visual joke, voortrekker, warp, watermark, way, wheeze, whereabout, whereabouts, whet, while, whit, whittle, will, with respect to, work toward, worth, wow, yarn, zag, zenith, zig, zigzag