point

From Middle English point, from Old French point m (“dot; minute amount”), from Latin punctum m (“a hole punched in; a point, puncture”), substantive use of punctus m, perfect passive participle of pungō (“I prick, punch”); alternatively, from Old French pointe f (“sharp tip”), from Latin puncta f (past participle). Displaced native Middle English ord (“point”), from Old English ord (“point”). Doublet of punto.

• (UK, US) enPR: point, IPA^(key): /pɔɪnt/

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• Rhymes: -ɔɪnt

point (plural points)

1. A discrete division of something.
   1. An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality. [from 13th c.]

      The Congress debated the finer points of the bill.

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

      There comes a point in a marathon when some people give up.

      At this point in the meeting, I'd like to propose a new item for the agenda.

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

      She was not feeling in good point.

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

      I made the point that we all had an interest to protect.

   5. A focus of conversation or consideration; the main idea.

      The point is that we should stay together, whatever happens.

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

      Since the decision has already been made, I see little point in further discussion.

   7. (obsolete) The smallest quantity of something; a jot, a whit. [14th-17th c.]
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I.ii:

        full large of limbe and euery ioint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point.

   8. (obsolete) A tiny amount of time; a moment. [14th-17th c.]
      • (Can we date this quote?), Sir J. Davies, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

        When time's first point begun / Made he all souls.

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

      We should meet at a pre-arranged point.

   10. (mathematics, sciences) 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.]
   11. A full stop or other terminal punctuation mark. [from 14th c.]
       • (Can we date this quote?), Alexander Pope, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

         Commas and points they set exactly right.

   12. (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.
   13. (by extension) A note; a tune.
       • (Can we date this quote?), Sir Walter Scott, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

         Sound the trumpet — not a levant, or a flourish, but a point of war.

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

       Logic isn't my strong point.

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

       The stars showed as tiny points of yellow light.

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

       Possession is nine points of the law.

   17. Each of the marks or strokes written above letters, especially in Semitic languages, to indicate vowels, stress etc. [from 17th c.]
   18. (sports, video games, board games) A unit of scoring in a game or competition. [from 18th c.]

       The one with the most points will win the game

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

       10.5

       ("ten point five"; = ten and a half)

   20. (economics) A unit used to express differences in prices of stocks and shares. [from 19th c.]
   21. (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.]
   22. (Britain) An electric power socket. [from 20th c.]
   23. (navigation, nautical) A unit of bearing equal to one thirty-second of a circle, i.e. 11.25°.

       Ship ahoy, three points off the starboard bow!

   24. (Britain) A unit of measure for rain, equal to 0.254 mm or 0.01 of an inch.
2. A sharp extremity.
   1. The sharp tip of an object. [from 14th c.]

      Cut the skin with the point of the knife.

   2. Any projecting extremity of an object. [from 14th c.]
   3. An object which has a sharp or tapering tip. [from 14th c.]

      His cowboy belt was studded with points.

   4. (backgammon) Each of the twelve triangular positions in either table of a backgammon board, on which the stones are played. [from 15th c.]
   5. A peninsula or promontory. [from 15th c.]
   6. The position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force. [from 16th c.]
      • 2005, Martin Torgoff, Can't Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945–2000‎, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN Invalid ISBN, page 189:

        Willie Jones decided to become Kimani Jones, Black Panther, on the day his best friend, Otis Nicholson, stepped on a mine while walking point during a sweep in the central highlands.

   7. Each of the main directions on a compass, usually considered to be 32 in number; a direction. [from 16th c.]
   8. (nautical) The difference between two points of the compass.

      to fall off a point

   9. Pointedness of speech or writing; a penetrating or decisive quality of expression. [from 17th c.]
      • 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:

        There was moreover a hint of the duchess in the infinite point with which, as she felt, she exclaimed: "And this is what you call coming often?"

      • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 4, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

        I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.

   10. (rail transport, Britain, in the plural) A railroad switch. [from 19th c.]
   11. (usually in the plural) An area of contrasting colour on an animal, especially a dog; a marking. [from 19th c.]

       The point color of that cat was a deep, rich sable.

   12. A tine or snag of an antler.
   13. (fencing) A movement executed with the sabre or foil.

       tierce point

3. (heraldry) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon.
4. (nautical) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails.
5. (historical) A string or lace used to tie together certain garments.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Walter Scott to this entry?)

6. Lace worked by the needle.

   point de Venise; Brussels point

7. (US, slang, dated) An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer.
8. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game.

   The dog came to a point.

9. (falconry) The perpendicular rising of a hawk over the place where its prey has gone into cover.
10. The act of pointing, as of the foot downward in certain dance positions.
11. The gesture of extending the index finger in a direction in order to indicate something.
    • 2005, Marc Marschark, Patricia Elizabeth Spencer, Oxford handbook of deaf studies, language, and education

      […] DCDP children are exposed to more points and gesturelike signs in their linguistic environment […]

12. (medicine, obsolete) A vaccine point.
13. In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position.
    1. (cricket) A fielding position square of the wicket on the off side, between gully and cover. [from 19th c.]
    2. (lacrosse, ice hockey) The position of the player of each side who stands a short distance in front of the goalkeeper.
    3. (baseball) The position of the pitcher and catcher.
    4. (hunting) A spot to which a straight run is made; hence, a straight run from point to point; a cross-country run.

• (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):

• → Japanese: ポイント (pointo)

• Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take for the use of point with these verbs

• point on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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

1. (intransitive) To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Shakespeare, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     Now must the world point at poor Katharine.

   • (Can we date this quote?), Dryden, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe.

   • 2011 October 23, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:

     Luiz struggled with the movement of Helguson in the box, as he collected a long ball and the Spaniard barged him over, leaving referee Chris Foy little option but to point to the spot.

   It's rude to point at other people.

2. (intransitive) To draw attention to something or indicate a direction.
   • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:

     In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.

   The arrow of a compass points north

   The skis were pointing uphill.

   The arrow on the map points towards the entrance

3. (intransitive) To face in a particular direction.
4. (transitive) To direct toward an object; to aim.

   to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort

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

   to point a dart, a pencil, or (figuratively) a moral

6. (intransitive) To indicate a probability of something.
   • 2011 December 21, Helen Pidd, “Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis”, in the Guardian:

     Tens of thousands of Portuguese, Greek and Irish people have left their homelands this year, many heading for the southern hemisphere. Anecdotal evidence points to the same happening in Spain and Italy.

7. (transitive, intransitive, masonry) To repair mortar.
8. (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.
9. (stone-cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool.
10. (transitive) To direct or encourage (someone) in a particular direction.

    If he asks for food, point him toward the refrigerator.

    • (Can we date this quote?), Alexander Pope, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

      Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them.

11. (transitive, mathematics) To separate an integer from a decimal with a decimal point.
12. (transitive) To mark with diacritics.
13. (dated) To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate.

    to point a composition

14. (transitive, computing) To direct the central processing unit to seek information at a certain location in memory.
15. (transitive, Internet) To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address corresponding to that domain name.
16. (intransitive, nautical) To sail close to the wind.

    Bear off a little, we're pointing.

17. (intransitive, hunting) To indicate the presence of game by a fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do.
    • (Can we date this quote?), John Gay, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

      He treads with caution, and he points with fear.

18. (medicine, of an abscess) To approximate to the surface; to head.
19. (obsolete) To appoint.

    (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

20. (dated) To give point to (something said or done); to give particular prominence or force to.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Charles Dickens, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

      He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech.

    • 1924, EM Forster, A Passage to India, Penguin 2005, p. 85:

      ‘Oh, it is the great defect in our Indian character!’ – and, as if to point his criticism, the lights of the Civil Station appeared on a rise to the right.

• point in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• point in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

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

point

1. a point, as in a game

• punkt
• pointe
• pointere

• IPA^(key): /pwɛ̃/

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• (Quebec) IPA^(key): [pwɛ̃ɪ̃]
• Rhymes: -ɛ̃
• Homophones: poing, poings, points

From Middle French poinct (with orthography modified to reflect the Latin etymology), from Old French point, from Latin punctum.

point m (plural points)

1. point (small mark)
2. (sports, games) point
3. full stop, period (punctuation mark)

point

1. (literary, dialectal, usually with "ne") not

   Synonym: pas (contemporary French)

   Ne craignez point ― Fear not

• appointer
• pointe
• poindre
• poignant
• poinçon

From Old French point, from Latin punctus.

point m (feminine singular pointe, masculine plural points, feminine plural pointes)

1. past participle of poindre

From Latin pungit.

point

1. third-person singular present indicative of poindre

• piton

• “point” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

point (verbal noun pointeil, past participle pointit)

1. appoint

From Old French point, from Latin punctum.

point m (plural points)

1. (Jersey) full stop, period (punctuation mark)

• point d'excliamâtion (“exclamation mark”)
• point d'tchestchionn'nie (“question mark”)
• point virgule (“semicolon”)

From Latin punctum.

point m (oblique plural poinz or pointz, nominative singular poinz or pointz, nominative plural point)

1. a sting; a prick
2. moment; time
3. (on a die) dot
4. small amount

point

1. a little
2. (with ne) not (indicates negation)

• Middle French: poinct
  • French: point

From Latin punctus.

point

1. past participle of poindre

• Dutch: pointeren
• English: point
• French: point

• IPA^(key): /pwɛnt/

point f pl

1. genitive plural of pointa

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpõj̃.t͡ʃ(i)/

point m (plural points)

1. (Brazil, slang) a location where members of a group usually meet