See Also: Point(medicine)
point(4)(dictionary)
dew-point(medicine)
point B(medicine)
far point(medicine)
far point of eye(medicine)
Point(money)
low point(dictionary)
Low Point(money)
end point(medicine)

point(4) (iou)



point verb1. ME.
[Partly from Old & mod. French pointer, from point, pointe POINT noun1; partly from POINT noun1.]
I.
verb trans. Provide with a sharp or tapering point or points; work or fashion to a point, sharpen. ME.
verb trans.
a. Make pungent or piquant in taste. rare. Only in LME.
b. Give point or force to (words, actions, etc.); lend prominence, distinction, or poignancy to. E18.
W. Sansom Rather than pointing her..depression, the picture comforted her. K. Amis Stabbing at the air..to point the turns in his argument.
c. Foll. by up: emphasize, draw attention to. M20.
verb trans. Fasten or lace with tagged points or laces; decorate with points. LME-L16.
verb trans. Fill in the lines of the joints of (brickwork, a brick structure, in early use tiling) with mortar or cement, smoothed with the point of a trowel etc. Cf. earlier POINTER 1(a). LME.
T. Connor Whose dismal tower / he pointed and painted when a lad.
verb trans. Prick with something sharp. LME-L16.
verb trans. Mark with or indicate by pricks or dots; jot down, note. LME-M17.
verb trans. Orig., make the stops or pauses required by the meaning in reading (something). Later, insert points or punctuation marks in; now chiefly spec. (a) insert signs to aid chanting in the text of (a psalm etc.); (b) insert points indicating vowels etc. in (written Hebrew etc.). LME.
b. Mark off with a point or points, esp. a decimal point. E19.
verb trans. Work or deepen with a point or pointed tool. Long rare exc. Scot. M17.
b. Sculpture. Mark (a block of stone or marble) with a series of points indicating depth to which initial working or roughing-out is to be done. M19.
verb intrans. Of an abscess: come to a head. L19.
verb trans. Insert white hairs into (a self-coloured fur) to imitate another fur. Usu. in pass. E20.
II.
verb intrans.
a. Indicate position or direction (as) by extending a finger; direct attention in a certain direction. Usu. foll. by to, at. LME.
Beano Don't pointit's not nice. I. Murdoch Seegard..an almost illegible signpost said, pointing away down a muddy track. A. Brookner 'A piece of that,' said Yvette, pointing to a cheesecake.
b. fig. Direct the mind or thought in a certain direction; hint at, allude to. Freq. foll. by to: suggest, be evidence of, indicate. LME.
D. H. Lawrence The tale..points the other way. R. Travers The cartridges and the burnt pocket-book..pointed to murder. R. Deacon Some clues which pointed in the direction of 'Cicero'.
verb trans. Indicate the place or direction of (as) by extending a finger; direct attention to, show. Now usu. foll. by out (with simple obj., obj. clause). L15.
J. Tey He wrote a..letter..pointing out how under-privileged she had been. O. Manning Her father had pointed out stars to her. Scientific American It was pointed out that enforcing such a statute would cost money. American Poetry Review A signpost pointing the way.
verb trans. Direct or level (a finger, weapon, etc., at), aim (at); direct (a person, a person's attention or course, to); turn or guide in a certain direction. M16.
point the bone: see BONE noun. point a finger at, point the finger at: see FINGER noun.
S. George Someone..had pointed me in her direction. M. Na Gopaleen The finger of scorn is pointed at you. Independent He was..pointing a revolver at..the security van.
verb intrans. Project or stick out in a point. E17-E18.
verb intrans.
a. Have its point or length directed to, towards; lie or face in a certain direction. L17.
J. M. Jephson The churches..were ordinarily built pointing to the east. P. Redgrove It pointed always towards the sea.
b. Be aimed at, have a motion or tendency towards, to do. L18.
verb intrans. & trans. Of a dog: indicate the presence and position of (game etc.) by standing rigidly looking towards it; assume a rigid attitude looking towards (something). E18.
P. V. White Dogs were whining and pointing at the smells of baking meats. P. Wayre She would point a rabbit..without disturbing it.
verb intrans. Nautical. Of a sailing vessel: lay a course close to the wind. Also foll. by up. L19.
Comb.: point-and-click adjective & verb (Computing) (a) adjective (of an interface) giving the user the ability to initiate tasks by using a mouse to move a cursor over an area of the screen and clicking on it; (b) verb intrans. use a mouse in such a way; point-and-shoot adjective (Photography) of, relating to, or denoting an automatic camera which, when it is pointed at a subject and the shutter release is pressed, will take a properly exposed and focused photograph.
pointable adjective (a) rare able to be pointed out, visible; (b) able to be (readily) pointed or aimed in a certain direction: M16.