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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.
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 or with each eye separately — 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 — 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.
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