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 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.
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.
