pointingn.1
/ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈpɔɪn(t)ɪŋ/ 1. Building. The action of filling exterior joints in brickwork, masonry, etc. (see point v.1 1a). Also: the facing or filling applied in this way.
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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > surfacing or cladding > [noun] > pointing
pointing1374
snail-creep1593
teething1844
dinging1873
flat pointing1881
tuck pointing1881
1374–5 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 10 (MED) Item, Sclaters pro powntyng de aula, xiij so. liiij d. ob.
1423 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 158 (MED) Item, for j tiler and hijs man be xxix daies dj. yn tilyng, pointyng, dawbyng of dyuers houses..xxix s. vj d.
1483–5 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 120 Payde to a tyler for iiij dayes & di. in poyntyng of dyuers houses.
1502–3 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1898) 102 Pro le puyntyng super le caponhous at salthous.
1555–6 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Edinb. (1869–1967) II. 318 For the pointing of..the fleschehous, for sclatis, lyme and sarkin.
1609 in J. Barmby Churchwardens' Accts. Pittington (1888) 61 Item payed to Nichollas Yonger for laying the lead and for pointing of the slates, xviij d.
1622 in J. Imrie & J. G. Dunbar Accts. Masters of Wks. (1982) II. 144 The Inglisman and his man that did dres lyme and hair and did furneish it to the pointing of the great lead heidis at Edinburgh castell.
1774 F. Grose Antiq. Eng. & Wales II. 98 The large pointing of mortar laid over the joints of the stones, in a late repair, greatly destroys the solemnity of the building.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §228 The swell had washed some of the pointing out of the exterior joints.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 354 Pointing..consists in raking out some of the mortar from the joints, and filling them again with blue mortar.
1880 Times 1 Nov. 11/7 Better mortar was used outside in the pointing of the walls, but the mortar used inside had not any sand in it.
1950 C. W. Scott-Giles Boutell's Heraldry (rev. ed.) viii. 93 A castle is said to be masoned of a particular tincture when the cement pointing is of a different tincture from the stones.
1986 A. Limon in A. Limon et al. Home Owner Man. (ed. 2) i. ii. 42 There may be more risk of frost damage if a strong cement mortar is used for pointing over a weak backing mortar.
1994 Fine Homebuilding Nov. 62/2 (caption) Pointing keeps water out.
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the world > animals > animals hunted > trail > [noun] > foot-print
pointingc1425
sealing1591
seal1686
pad1791
pug1851
pad mark1900
c1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 105 He shuld..not rechace til he be retrevid..or ellis þat he fyndeþ hure pointyng or prikkyng.
3. † a. The action of pricking or marking something with a pointed instrument; pinpricking; the result of this action, a pinprick (in quot. a1586 as the type of something of small extent). Obsolete. rare.
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the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > [noun] > by boring, piercing, or perforating > with sharp-pointed instrument > pricking
pointurea1393
puncturea1400
pouncingc1410
punction?a1425
pointing1440
pinpricking1706
acupuncture1875
pinholing1879
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 407 Poyntynge, or prykkynge, punctacio.
a1586 King Hart 127 in W. A. Craigie Maitland Folio MS (1919) I. 258 That no man micht the poynting of ane prene Repreve, nor pece bot payntit at devyse.
b. Sculpture. The action or practice of marking guide-holes on a piece of stone or marble in preparation for roughing-out (see point v.1 2b). Also pointing-up.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > [noun] > processes or techniques
hatchet work1697
bossage1704
rusticating1749
boasting1823
chiselling1835
marmotinto1844
pointing1845
modelling1865
petroglyphy1882
pointillé1893
ganosis1911
1845 Encycl. Metrop. V. 465/2 The construction of these instruments for pointing is not always the same, but the principle on which they act is exactly similar.
1883 Mag. of Art Oct. 514/1 Here is done the pointing, as it is called; the marking out with mathematical accuracy upon the marble the points that shall guide the workman.
1969 L. R. Rogers Sculpture vi. 199 The pointing-up in marble of clay models in a mechanical fashion by craftsmen assistants.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Micropædia VIII. 68/1 Although pointing has limitations as a technique of creative sculpture, it has been used widely, especially in the 19th century.
1992 Mod. Painters Spring 94/2 Going out in search of suitable bits of junk has become as academic as ‘pointing up’ was in nineteenth-century sculpture.
4.
a. The insertion of points or stops in text; punctuation; a particular method of doing this; the marks of punctuation made in a given text. In early use also: †the proper observation of such marks in reading out a text (obsolete).
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society > communication > writing > written character > punctuation > [noun]
pointing1440
distinction1552
punctuation1593
punctation1617
interpunctiona1631
stopping1728
interpunctuation1827
subpunctuation1891
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 407 Poyntynge, or pawsynge in redynge, punctuacio.
a1500 Rule Minoresses in W. W. Seton Two 15th Cent. Franciscan Rules (1914) 103 (MED) Þe Reder schal sey Benedicite wiþ titel & poynting in tone of a lessoun.
1579 W. Fulke Heskins Parl. Repealed in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 456 I passe ouer howe M. Heskins hath corrupted Tertullian by false pointing.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 261 The Corrector..examines the Proof, and considers the Pointing, Italicking, Capitalling, or any error.
1707 J. Talbot Christian School-master 84 They must Learn..to Gain the Habit of True Spelling and Pointing, by the frequent Practice of Transcribing some useful Sentences of Scripture.
1764 Acct. Coll. New-Jersey 25 All these compositions..are critically examined with respect to the..pointing, capitalizing, with the other minutiæ.
1818 H. J. Todd Johnson's Dict. Eng. Lang. To Punctuate, to distinguish by pointing.
1896 T. L. De Vinne in Moxon's Mech. Exerc.: Printing (new ed.) II. 420 The compositor should amend bad spelling and pointing.
1930 S. Tannenbaum Handwriting of Renaissance vi. 151 Printers of those days paid but little attention to the pointing of their manuscript copies and..they punctuated as they saw fit.
1971 T. A. M. Bishop Eng. Caroline Minuscule p. xiii Word-separation is normal for the Caroline period; the pointing of English MSS, at least from c.900, shows few traces of the older Insular elaboration.
1992 Rev. Eng. Stud. 43 171 There are patterned internal rhymes (mostly..indicated by pointing).
b. In Semitic languages: the insertion of points to indicate vowels; also (in Hebrew) the insertion of points to indicate variation or doubling of a consonant, stress accent, punctuation, etc.(see point n.1 16c); (also) a system of doing this.
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society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > written character not a letter > diacritic > insertion of, specifically in Hebrew
punctation1642
pointing1659
punctuation1659
1659 J. Owen Vindic. Integrity Hebrew & Greek Texts v. § 7.224 in Of Divine Originall, Authority, & Power Script. What is the state and condition of the present Hebrew pointing.
1701 H. Ross tr. C. Le Cène Ess. New Transl. Bible iii. 16 The different pointing of the same Hebrew word gives it quite different Senses.
1821 M. Stuart Hebrew Gram. (1831) iii. 79 The præformative affixes to the Fut., would appropriately have a Sheva for their vowel-pointing.
1847 J. Kirk Cloud Dispelled x. 153 In the Hebrew the sense is obscured by false pointing.
1914 C. F. Kent Songs, Hymns & Prayers Old Test. 61 (note) Following a slightly different vowel pointing.
1990 Amstrad PCW Feb. 7/3 All forms of Hebrew consonants and vowel pointing can be printed.
c. Music. The marking of the text of a psalm, canticle, etc., with punctuation to indicate how it should be chanted; the particular way in which text has been thus marked.
ΚΠ
1706 A. Bedford Temple Musick viii. 162 The like Order is observed in the Pointing of our Reading Psalms.
1869 Times 13 May 5/4 The psalms for the day were sung to Anglican chants, music and ‘pointing’ being borrowed from the excellent Church Psalter and Hymn Book.
1896 J. Hunter Hymns Faith & Life (new ed.) Pref. Mr. B. Sykes..has revised the pointing of the Psalms and Canticles.
1980 Alternative Service Bk. 1293 Psalms printed within the services follow the text and pointing of the Liturgical Psalter.
5.
a. The action of sharpening or giving a point to something.
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the world > space > shape > sharpness of edge or point > [noun] > sharpening > furnishing with a point
pointing1445
1445 Bridgewater Borough Munim. 11 (MED) Item, ffor viij li. & di. Sowder & poynnting of þe naylis, ij s. ij d. ob.
1720 E. R. Experienc'd Farrier (ed. 4) ii. 485 The negligence..of the Farrier, in driving of the Nails, by their weakness, ill pointing or breaking of them.
1794 M. Wollstonecraft Hist. & Moral View of Origin & Progress French Revol. v. iv. 519 Making a man pass his life in stretching wire, pointing a pin, heading a nail, [etc.].
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1705/2 A finer file-wheel by which the process of pointing is finished.
1878 Spirit of Times 19 Jan. 677 (advt.) In the pointing, as well as forging, we have endeavored to follow the hand process as nearly as possible, thus producing the only Genuine Hammer-Pointed nail.
1912 H. A. Junod Life S. Afr. Tribe I. 183 (heading) Pointing of the teeth (Ku hleta).
1951 M. L. Wolf Dict. Arts 316/1 Gum water, any one of a number of simple mixtures used as a binding agent for water-colors; employed also for the ‘pointing’ of brushes.
1998 Book & Paper Group Ann. 17 108/1 Keep them [sc. tortillons] clean and sharp by frequent pointing on sandpaper.
b. Nautical. The action of unlaying and tapering the end of a rope (see point v.1 14b); (also) the end of a rope tapered in this way. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > other manufactured or derived materials > [noun] > rope or cord > tapered end of rope
pointing1769
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > rope-making > [noun] > other specific processes
warping1688
self-twist1851
pointing1867
snugging1875
wimbling1964
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (1780) Pointing, the operation of tapering the end of a rope, and weaving a sort of mat..about the diminished part of it, so as to thrust it more easily through any hole.
1831 T. O'Scanlan Diccionario Marítimo Español 102*/1 Pointing, rabo de rata.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxxv. 134 The neat work upon the rigging,—the knots, Flemish eyes, splices, seizings, coverings, pointings, and graffings.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Pointing, the unlaying and tapering the end of a rope, and weaving some of its yarns about the diminished part.
1910 Encycl. Brit. XII. 316/2 The word [graft] is applied.., as a nautical term, to the ‘whipping’ or ‘pointing’ of a rope's end with fine twine to prevent unravelling.
6.
a. The action of indicating or directing, esp. with the finger or with the point of something, or of aiming something in a particular direction; an instance of this. Also figurative: a hint, a suggestion; (occasionally) an impulse, a predisposition.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > motivation > [noun] > incitement or instigation > that which incites or instigates
prickleOE
pritchOE
alighting1340
brodc1375
bellowsc1386
pricka1387
motivec1390
prompting1402
preparativec1450
stirmentc1460
incentive?a1475
fomenta1500
farda1522
instigation1526
pointing1533
swinge1548
spur1551
whetstone1551
goad1567
promptitude1578
alarm1587
inducement1593
solicitor1594
incitement1596
inflammation1597
instance1597
excitement1604
moving spirit1604
heart-blood1606
inflamer1609
rouser1611
stimulator1614
motioner1616
incensivea1618
incitative1620
incitation1622
whettera1625
impulsivea1628
excitation1628
incendiary1628
dispositive1629
fomentationa1631
switch1630
stirrer1632
irritament1634
provocative1638
impetus1641
driving force1642
driving power1642
engagement1642
firer1653
propellant1654
fomentary1657
impulse1660
urgency1664
impeller1686
fillip1699
shove1724
incitive1736
stimulative1747
bonus1787
stimulus1791
impellent1793
stimulant1794
propulsion1800
instigant1833
propulsive1834
motive power1836
evoker1845
motivity1857
afflatus1865
flip1881
urge1882
agent provocateur1888
will to power1896
a shot in the arm1922
motivator1929
driver1971
co-driver1993
society > communication > indication > gesturing or gesture > hand gesture > [noun] > finger gesture > pointing
pointing1533
digitation1658
finger-pointing1851
1533 T. Elyot Pasquil the Playne f. 13v Ye thynke as moche as I speke for all your poynting and wynking.
1553 Short Catech. in Lit. & Documents Edward VI (1844) 495 That by certain questions, as it were by pointing, the ignorant might be instructed.
1553 R. Eden tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India sig. Jv With sygnes & poyntinges (as the dumme are wont to speake with the dumme).
1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron I. ii. x. sig. O4v The people began to scorne him..making hornes, with ridiculous pointings at him.
1659 R. Boyle Some Motives & Incentives to Love of God 80 The Needle's pointing at the Poles.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iii. i. 12 I found by their pointing towards me..that they plainly discovered me.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela IV. li. 318 One of those natural Pointings, as one may call it, that is implanted in every Creature, teaching it to chuse its Good, and to avoid its Evil.
1779 Gentleman's Mag. 49 253 As soon as M. Lally appeared, a hue was set up by the whole assembly, hisses, pointing, threats and every abusive name.
1856 G. W. Curtis Nile Notes 101 My eye followed the pointing of his finger to a dim, distant point.
1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma iii. 94 The Old Testament abounds..in pointings and approximations to it.
1945 C. E. Balleisen Princ. Firearms App. B 134 Changes in gun pointing had to be made by moving the mount.
1993 Boulevard Spring 33 With it..went the pointing of our fingers at our formerly culpable fathers.
b. Of a pointer or similar dog: the action of indicating the presence and position of game by standing rigidly looking towards it.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > work done by hounds > [noun] > pointing
setting1621
set1699
point1771
dead set1819
pointing1877
1877 J. Gibson in Encycl. Brit. VII. 328/2 This habit [of crouching], like that of pointing, is probably..‘merely the exaggerated pause of an animal about to spring on its prey’.
1972 O.E.D. Suppl. I. at False False point,..a mistaken act of pointing by a game-dog.
c. Nautical. Of a yacht, etc.: the action of sailing with the prow close to the wind. Cf. point v.1 12.
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society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [noun] > ability to answer helm > pointing close to wind
pointing1899
1899 Daily News 17 Oct. 6/6 The Shamrock footed the faster, but the Columbia counteracted this by her superior pointing.
1901 Daily Chron. 28 Aug. 6/1 The spin showed that she is not only very fast in a breeze that puts her rail awash, but that she is a wonder at pointing.
1997 Canad. Yachting (Nexis) Apr. This type of setting is typical for light air conditions, when building boat speed is more of an issue than pointing.
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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > [noun] > roofing > tiling, slating, or shingling > preparation of slates
pointing1703
flerrying1865
1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 244 The Pointing of Slates..is hewing them, and making them fit for the Work.
8. The formation by an abscess of a slight protuberance on the surface of a body part; the coming of an abscess to a head. Cf. point v.1 18b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > [noun] > a suppuration > abscess > stage of
rottennessa1400
maturity1676
pointing1766
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > [noun] > a suppuration > abscess > head of
headlOE
pointing1766
1766 R. B. Cheston Pathol. Inq. & Observ. Surg. ii. 15 The Patient found no Relief, 'til, by the Pointing of the Abscess in the Loins, it has there been discharged externally.
1772 D. MacBride Methodical Introd. Theory & Pract. Physic 415 Whenever it [sc. an abscess] is sufficiently ripened, which will be known by the pointing of the tumour,..it ought to be opened.
1884 M. Mackenzie Man. Dis. Throat & Nose II. 451 Tumours..which after ‘pointing’ opened spontaneously.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XXVIII. 8/2 Instead of the swelling being poulticed, a little blistering ointment is sometimes rubbed over it, which hastens pointing of the abscess.
2003 Postgraduate Med. Jrnl. 79 519 Patients who had cutaneous pointing of deep abdominal cavity collections and postoperative wound abscesses were excluded from this study.
9. Scottish. Fishing. Apparently: the action or practice of using the point of a rod or other instrument as a means of hooking a fish. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > [noun] > fishing by illicit means
pointing1860
ottering1890
snag-fishing1936
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > type or method of fishing > [noun] > other methods of fishing
tickling1616
twitchelling1689
yair-fishing1796
ice-fishing1842
foul-hooking1860
pointing1860
fish-wood1861
muddying1877
snatching1878
roll casting1897
jack fishing1899
cod jigging1921
free spooling1937
noodling1937
electrofishing1950
shocker1953
ghost fishing1963
catch-and-release1973
1860 Act 23 & 24 Victoria c. 45 §1 That it shall not be lawful..to fish for trout or other fresh water fish..with any net,..or by striking the fish with any instrument, or by pointing.
1902 Act 2 Edward VII c. 29 §2 Fishing for trout..by what is known as double rod fishing, or cross line fishing, or set lines,..or by striking the fish..or by pointing.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > fielding > [noun] > types of fielding
long-stopping1832
outfielding1851
pointing1863
ground-fielding1884
groundwork1898
outwork1899
glovework1906
slip-fielding1906
1863 Baily's Monthly Mag. Sept. 44 The bowling of Tarrant and Grundy, the wicket-keeping of Lockyer, the pointing of Carpenter,..was all cricket in perfection.
ΚΠ
1875 E. N. Horsford Rep. Vienna Bread in Rep. U.S. Commissioners to Vienna Exhib., 1873 (1876) ii. 33 If one rubs grains of wheat gently between millstones,..by the first operation, which we will call clipping, or pointing,..more or less of the germ, will be removed.
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 699/1 Pointing, a preliminary in the preparation of grain for the mill in the modern process; it consists in rubbing off the points of the grain, clipping the brush, and removing the germ end.
12. Printing. The action of securing the register of a sheet using the points on the tympan; see point n.1 21f. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > preparatory processes > [noun] > placing sheets on points of press
pointing1880
1880 Printing Times Feb. 31/1 The pointing and taking-off at the machines are done by intelligent-looking boys or young men.
1904 T. L. De Vinne Mod. Methods Bk. Composition. 390 For greater speed and reduced cost, printing- and folding-machines have been introduced that take on sheets of unusually large size, with new devices for automatic feeding, pointing,and folding.
13. Needlework. A kind of ornamental stitching. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > embroidery or ornamental sewing > stitch > other
chain-stitch1598
French knot1623
picot1623
petty-point1632
tent-stitch1639
brede-stitch1640
herringbone stitch1659
satin stitch1664
feather-stitch1835
Gobelin stitch1838
crowfoot1839
seedingc1840
German stitch1842
petit point1842
long stitch1849
looped stitch1851
hem-stitch1853
loop-stitch1853
faggot stitch1854
spider-wheel1868
dot stitch1869
picot stitch1869
slip-stitch1872
coral-stitch1873
stem stitch1873
rope stitch1875
Vienna cross stitch1876
witch stitch1876
pin stitch1878
seed stitch1879
cushion-stitch1880
Japanese stitch1880
darning-stitch1881
Kensington stitch1881
knot-stitch1881
bullion knot1882
cable pattern1882
Italian stitch1882
lattice-stitch1882
queen stitch1882
rice stitch1882
shadow-stitch1882
ship-ladder1882
spider-stitch1882
stem1882
Vandyke stitch1882
warp-stitch1882
wheel-stitch1882
basket-stitch1883
outline stitch1885
pointing1888
bullion stitchc1890
cable-stitchc1890
oriental stitchc1890
Turkish stitchc1890
Romanian stitch1894
shell-stitch1895
saddle stitch1899
magic stitch1900
plumage-stitch1900
saddle stitching1902
German knot stitch1903
trellis1912
padding stitch1913
straight stitch1918
Hungarian stitch1921
trellis stitch1921
lazy daisy1923
diamond stitchc1926
darning1930
faggot filling stitch1934
fly stitch1934
magic chain stitch1934
glove stitch1964
pad stitch1964
1654 Mercurius Aulicus 20–27 Mar. 9 Each Paragraph imbroidered with many a rich parenthesis; each Distick interwoven with ornamental Pointings.]
1888 Catholic Househ. 1 Sept. 14/1 The fine needlework on muslin which includes ‘veining’, ‘stroking’, ‘pointing’ and ‘lace stitching’.
1909 Daily Chron. 21 Oct. 7/5 This is called ‘pointing’, and describes the stitching or embroidery of the backs of the gloves.
14.
a. Fur Trade. The action or practice of inserting hairs into a pelt, usually to repair damage or to simulate another fur. Cf. point v.1 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with skins > [noun] > furriery > specific processes
secretage1791
fur-pulling1886
tail-twisting1887
pointing1900
stranding1935
1900 Fur Trade Rev. 1 May 213/2 Pointing will be one of the popular methods of enhancing the attractiveness of some of the most desirable furs.
1930 M. Bachrach Fur xix. 275 Rubbed spots on the rumps are judged according to the damaged area, which, in the Silver Fox, can be somewhat restored to its original appearance by the process of pointing.
1952 G. J. Lapick & J. Gelle Sci. Fur Servicing 4 Pointing may be detected by the fact that the badger hairs used are glued in groups of two or three to the natural fox hairs and the leather.
2005 Code Federal Regulations (U.S.) 16. 210/1 § 301.19 The term pointing means the process of inserting separate hairs into furs or fur products for the purpose of adding guard hairs, either to repair damaged areas or to simulate other furs… The term blended shall not be used as a part of the required information to describe the pointing, bleaching, dyeing, tip-dyeing, or otherwise artificially coloring of furs.
b. The grouping and colouring of points (point n.1 22e) in a cat's fur. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Felidae (feline) > felis domesticus (cat) > [noun] > colour of fur
Mocha1847
point1873
pointing1978
1978 R. Hill Pinch of Snuff v. 50 The room was filled with cats..of various ages and pointings.
2005 consumer.vetmedcenter.com 22 July (O.E.D. Archive) Pedigreed cats have several types of pointing: solid, lynx, tortie, and mink.
15. The arrangement of points (point n.1 21k) on a railway. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > track > points > disposition of
pointing1902
1902 Westm. Gaz. 29 Sept. 6/2 The cause of the accident was undoubtedly an error in the pointing.
Compounds
C1. General attributive, chiefly in the sense ‘used in pointing (in various senses)’.
pointing apparatus n.
ΚΠ
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 956 A carrier, which takes the pin to the pointing apparatus.
1904 W. B. Spencer & F. J. Gillen Northern Tribes Central Austral. 459 The pointing apparatus..consists of a long strand of human hair-string, to one end of which five small pointing-bones are affixed.
1984 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 6 Oct. The problem with the second antenna, a dish-shaped unit, was that its pointing apparatus had failed.
pointing-forge n.
ΚΠ
1889 H. Lawson in Bull. (Sydney) 2 Mar. 12/3 From many a busy ‘pointing’ forge the sound of labour swells, The tinkling at the anvils is as clear as silver bells.
1900 H. Lawson On Track 139 We would stand by his pointing forge when he'd be sharpening picks in the early morning.
pointing machine n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine tool > other specific machine tools > [noun] > other machine tools
mortising machine1655
waving-engine1678
draw plate1776
sticking machine1844
broaching machine1846
sticker1851
shaper1853
mortiser1858
throating machine1866
pointing machine1871
router1872
gaining-machine1875
panel raiser1875
matcher1890
spindle machine1902
spindle1920
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > [noun] > equipment
chisela1616
gravera1637
puncheon1662
veiner1819
gradine1860
macaroni1867
macaroni tool1867
pointing machine1871
punch1875
1871 Manufacturer & Builder Feb. 47/2 The various tempering methods and the pointing-machines also deserve notice, but space does not permit.
1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 571/2 Partly by eye and partly with the constant help of the pointing machine, which is used to give any required measurements, the workman almost completes the marble statue, leaving only the finishing touches to be done by the sculptor.
1991 Jrnl. Hist. of Collections 3 207/2 (caption) Plaster sketch from Canova's museum of plaster casts and models; metal stud-inserts for measuring finished marble with the pointing machine.
pointing rod n.
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society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > weapon-training > firing practice > pointing-rod
pointing rod1854
1854 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Aug. 198/1 A trough for chalk, sponges, scales, and pointing rods, runs along the bottom of this blackboard.
1947 J. C. Rich Materials & Methods Sculpt. ix. 272 The pointing rod indicates the depth of the points marked on the original model or cast.
2002 Liverpool Echo (Nexis) 6 Aug. 18 ‘Take a shorter swing,’ he commanded, jabbing his pointing rod towards my shoulder.
pointing trowel n.
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1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 343/1 A Pointing Trowel, is long and narrow in the flat or face part, with which Joints and Creeks and Crevices, are filled with Plaster and Mortar.
1700 Moxon's Mech. Exercises: Bricklayers-wks. 13 A small Pointing Trowel, to go into sharp Angles.
1878 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 6 227 I have used nothing better than a small triangular trowel... Known, I believe, as the masons' smaller pointing trowel.
1991 DIY: Do it Yourself June 34/2 As the rendering stiffens use a pointing trowel to make criss-cross key lines in the mortar.
pointing work n.
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1535–6 in H. M. Paton Accts. Masters of Wks. (1957) I. 188 With the haill poynting werk of the samyn.
1849 Times 31 May 7 With regard to the ‘pointing’ work he had a distinct recollection of paying, and he now produced the receipt for the money.
1916 G. G. Groat Introd. Study Organized Labor Amer. 405 The bricklayers..compelled the employer to pay the higher bricklayer's wage for the pointing work.
2003 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 5 Sept. 37 The work is ongoing for repairs to the fabric, slates, pointing works and so on.
C2. † pointing mark n. Obsolete = pointing-stock n.† pointing ribbon n. Obsolete ribbon used for laces or points (point n.1 23a); a piece of such ribbon.† pointing silk n. Obsolete rare silk used for laces or points (point n.1 23a).† pointing-wire n. Obsolete a wire shaped to form a sight for a mortar.
pointing bone n. a bone, or an apparatus consisting of bones, used (esp. by Australian Aboriginal people) to bring about the death or illness of the person at whom it is pointed.
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the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [adjective] > pointing-bone
pointing bone1904
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > spell > malignant enchantment or curse > pointing-bone
death bone1834
bone1878
pointing stick1901
pointing bone1904
1904 W. B. Spencer & F. J. Gillen Northern Tribes Central Austral. xiv. 459 The pointing apparatus..consists of a long strand of human hair-string, to one end of which five small pointing-bones are affixed.
1959 S. H. Courtier Death in Dream Time v. 50 He..saw a piece of bone, sharp at one end, blunt at the other, and bound round the middle with strands of black fur or hair..a native pointing bone or death bone.
2002 Austral. Mag. (Nexis) 23 Nov. 37 She brought with her a small flat stone with carvings on it, a pointing bone used to cast death curses..and a pair of shoes.
pointing device n. Computing (esp. in a graphical user interface) any of various input devices such as a mouse, trackball, or joystick which may be used to control a pointer or other graphical symbols on a display screen.
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1971 I. W. Cotton Request for Comments (Network Working Group) (Electronic text) No. 7118. 7 Pointing devices such as light pens and tablets may be simulated by associating particular keys with screen directions (up, down, right, left) and using them to position a pointer on the screen face.
1984 PC Week (Nexis) 27 Nov. 53 In painting with these programs, rather than using a brush or pen, you put your hand around a mouse or some other ‘pointing device’, including digitizing pad and joystick.
1992 Amer. Way 1 Feb. 13/2 (advt.) A keyboard-controlled pointing device—called ‘KeyMouse’—eliminates the need for an external mouse or trackball.
2001 Working from Home Mar. 43/2 On the outside it looks well crafted—the keyboard is spacious and well laid out and the trackpoint pointing device is easy to use.
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the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > fact or condition of being mocked or ridiculed > [noun] > object of ridicule > talked about, gazed or pointed at
gazing stock1535
pointing-stock1585
pointing mark1592
commonplacea1610
storya1616
outspeckle1802
1592 T. Kyd Trueth Murthering of Brewen 5 Suffer mee not to be a poynting marke for others, and a shame among my neighbours.
1616 George Lord Favkonbridge iii. 23 Dishonoured with the title of a Curtizan, a pointing marke for vertuous Ladies, a staine of woman-hood.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > fastenings > lace, cord, or string
lacea1382
pointc1390
sinka1425
lacingc1440
pointing ribbon1543
pointing silk1571
string1674
lacer1813
1543 Privy Purse Expenses Princess Mary (1831) 138 Item payed for Poynting Ryband for my lade Sleves vj s. iiij d.
c1660 in Trans. Leicestershire Archit. & Archæol. Soc. (1874) 3 75 For his pointing rebin to ye same..xd.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > fastenings > lace, cord, or string
lacea1382
pointc1390
sinka1425
lacingc1440
pointing ribbon1543
pointing silk1571
string1674
lacer1813
1571 Inventory in S. W. Beck Draper's Dict. 190 ij peces and ix yeardes of pointinge silk, 6s. 8d.
pointing stick n. = pointing bone n.
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the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > spell > malignant enchantment or curse > pointing-bone
death bone1834
bone1878
pointing stick1901
pointing bone1904
1901 F. J. Gillen Diary 21 Aug. (1968) 235 The Puntudia crept up and ‘boned’ him with their pointing sticks... He became very ill and finally died.
1959 Chambers's Encycl. XIV. 629/2 He [sc. the person who has caused illness or death] can be put out of the way by means of the ‘pointing stick’ or ‘pointing bone’ made efficacious by the spells of witch or sorcerer (usually a man).
pointing-stock n. now archaic a person pointed at; an object of scorn, derision, or ridicule.
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the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > fact or condition of being mocked or ridiculed > [noun] > object of ridicule > talked about, gazed or pointed at
gazing stock1535
pointing-stock1585
pointing mark1592
commonplacea1610
storya1616
outspeckle1802
1585 A. Munday tr. L. Pasqualigo Fedele & Fortunio iv. ii. sig. Civv Out strumpet, I will make thee now a mirror to this towne, A pointing stocke to euery one that passeth vp and downe.
1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. xix. 75 Not to liue pleasantly, but to be a pointing stock for the multitude, and a remembrancer of calamities.
1783 R. Cumberland Mysterious Husband v. 85 The outcast of society, the pointing-stock of scorn.
1888 C. M. Doughty Trav. Arabia Deserta II. 53 It is a passion to be a pointing-stock for every finger and to maintain even a just opinion against the half-reason of the world.
a1989 M. Ruefle in College Eng. (1989) 51 703 The negligee spirit..Develops a passion to be the pointing-stock Of every finger, Every upright white there is.
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1850 Ordnance Man. for Use of Officers (U.S. Army Ordnance Dept.) (ed. 2) 339/1 (table) For each mortar: 1 sponge and rammer... 2 pointing wires.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Pointing-wire, an iron wire with a loop at one end, used for sighting mortars by, when the proper line of fire has once been found.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† pointingn.2
Obsolete.
1. An agreement, a settlement. rare.
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c1425 in E. Edwards Liber Monasterii de Hyda (1866) 67 (MED) I conferme to the keper at Ceodre tha he hyt have, after the puyngtyng that we erst seyde hafe, wt that land at Kyntune, and that therto longyth.
2. The action or an act of appointing or nominating a person (for a post, etc.) or of determining a place for a meeting.
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society > authority > command > command or bidding > [noun] > ordinance, prescription, or appointment
besight1258
ordainmenta1325
constitution1393
assignationa1400
signmentc1425
appointmentc1440
steveningc1440
pointingc1449
ordinationc1450
instituting1534
prescription1542
prescribement1563
assignment1597
nomination1597
designation1609
consignation1650
reassignment1650
reassignation1655
consignmenta1668
appunctuation1768
destination1868
allocation1876
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 184 It is more according that we stonde to his pointing and chesing and assignyng.
1521 in W. Fraser Douglas Bk. (1885) IV. 80 The lord kepar..hes na maner of rewle nowder of oure soueranys diet, nor poyntinge of his servandis.
c1573 in 15th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1899) App. ix. 25 That we..sall keip poyntit day and place..we..desyris you to send ws siklyk sekarty till ws..that sa the poyntin of the tryst..quhen ye think best.
1641 Office & Duty Executors (ed. 2) i. 12 The pointing [ed. 1 appointing] of him Executor.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
pointingn.3
/ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈpɔɪn(t)ɪŋ/ Now rare.
= pointing sill n. at pointing adj. Compounds. Now historical.
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1795 J. Phillips Gen. Hist. Inland Navigation (rev. ed.) Add. 178 The new cut..is to be not less than four feet below the pointings of the present sluice.
1907 N.E.D. (at cited word) A depth of ‘4 feet below the pointings’ means 4 feet below the upper surface of the sills of the lock or sluice, called pointing sills or pointings. (H. Congreve, M. Inst. C.E., Manchester.)
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
pointingn.4
/ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈpɔɪn(t)ɪŋ/ Horse Racing.
Point-to-point or cross-country racing; steeplechasing.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > types of racing
steeple-hunting1772
quarter-racing1779
roading1787
pony racing1809
steeplechasing1816
steeple running1818
steeple racing1840
horse-trotting1857
plating1865
trotting1883
chasing1886
flat-racing1886
harness racing1901
flapping1911
flapper1928
point-to-pointing1952
pointing1976
1976 Horse & Hound 10 Dec. 71/4 (advt.) Proved to be a good bold hunter with great potential for pointing/eventing.
1987 Horse Internat. Mar. 26/3 Several top horses started ‘between the flags’, not to say jockeys, and pointing now provides a lucrative market.
2001 Times (Nexis) 24 Feb. Pointing, which has its roots in the farming community, was vulnerable the moment foot-and-mouth was discovered at an Essex abattoir earlier this week.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
pointingadj.
/ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈpɔɪn(t)ɪŋ/ 1. That indicates or directs (as with a finger, hand, etc.); that is used for indicating. Also (with preceding modifying word): that points in the direction specified.
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the world > space > direction > [adjective] > having a specific direction
pointing1542
applicate1652
society > communication > indication > gesturing or gesture > hand gesture > [adjective] > pointing
pointing1693
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes i. f. 87 The fore fynger nexte vnto the thumbe is called in latin, index, as if ye should saye in englyshe, the pointyng fynger, or the shewyng fynger.
1575 W. Patten Cal. Script. 140 The sheawing or pointing Lord.
1632 J. Milton Epit. On Shakespear in W. Shakespeare Comedies, Hist. & Trag. (ed. 2) sig. A5 Or that his hallow'd Reliques should be hid Vnder a starre-ypointing Pyramid.
1693 J. Dryden tr. Persius Satires i. 7 To see The Crowd, with pointing Fingers, cry That's he.
1728 E. Young Love of Fame ii, in Wks. (1757) I. 90 Tho' hissed and whooted by the pointing crowd.
1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 89 With pointing finger guides the initiate youth.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. vi. 55/1 Its white steeple is then truly a starward-pointing finger.
1860 W. Collins Woman in White (new ed.) III. 132 Her pointing hand instantly dropped to her side.
1927 Motor Boat 9 Sept. 226/3 The..Dead Beat compass..returns after being displaced from its equilibrium position by one direct movement to the north pointing position.
1937 J. L. Nelson Rhythm for Rain 35 The other boy followed the direction indicated by the pointing finger.
2005 Daily Mail (Nexis) 19 Jan. 4 A Lear who mumbles many lines, snorts with mad hysterics, flaps a pointing hand and keeps half-turning his head.
2. That tapers or rises to a point.
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the world > space > shape > fact or condition of tapering > condition of tapering to a point > [adjective]
piked1269
pointedc1325
sharp1340
peakedc1350
pricked?a1425
sharp-pointed1530
acuatea1550
piquant1549
picked1552
corned?c1562
arrow-headed1567
acuminated1578
pointing1578
acute1598
exasperated1608
spitted1626
pointy1644
sagittal1656
pecked1662
piqued1689
spired1694
piky1741
spiky1743
spiry1777
apexed1813
beak-shaped1830
peaky1832
apiculated1839
cusped1888
sagittiform1895
cuspate1896
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > [adjective] > abscess > stage of
ripec1425
pointing1880
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 2v Others also beyng sharpe but not so slender, as the knagge of a hartes horne, that is to say thicke and pointyng.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 223 The flames Drivn backward slope their pointing spires. View more context for this quotation
1715 J. Delacoste tr. H. Boerhaave Aphorisms 94 Having pressed the Pus duly towards the pointing Tumor, let the Launcet be stuck into the whitest, softest, the most pointing..Part.
1880 R. Barwell Aneurism 61 The tumor..became conical like a pointing abscess.
1970 W. H. Parker Health & Dis. Farm Animals ix. 108 As many abscesses are in the subcutaneous tissue they tend to enlarge towards the surface and are described as ‘pointing’ when the place of likely break becomes manifest.
2003 Western Mail (Cardiff) (Nexis) 24 Dec. One of the suspects is described as 6ft to 6ft 2in tall, in his late 40s with greying hair and a pointing nose.
3. With reference to dogs: characterized by pointing (pointing n.1 6b). See also pointing dog n. at Compounds.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dogs used for specific purposes > [adjective] > of sporting or hunting dog
working1577
flying1684
pointing1745
faulting1837
short-running1853
short-working1853
gun-shy1884
trencher-fed1887
trial-bred1948
1745 London Mag. Apr. 193/1 A Dog of the pointing Kind, that I brought from Charles-Town in South Carolina, to Edinburgh, in June last.
1755 Connoisseur (1757) II. 224 [Dogs] of the Pointing-breed.
1877 J. Gibson in Encycl. Brit. VII. 330/1 The strength of this pointing propensity.
1993 Outdoor Canada May 46/2 If it is a pointing breed, it should display a strong pointing instinct.
Compounds
pointing dog n. = pointer n. 5.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > other types of dog > [noun] > pointer
pointer1717
pointing dog1750
1750 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman III. xxiv. 184 A copy of a third Letter, for this Author to buy a Gentleman a Pointing-dog.
1885 Cent. Mag. Nov. 116/1 Not five yards ahead of the pointing dog lie the bevy of quails.
1999 Gun Dog Dec. 82/1 Gaining and maintaining control of a pointing dog is so simple that no one should have to put up with an outlaw dog!
pointing door n. one of a pair of sluice doors which close against each other to form a point, so as to resist the pressure of the water.
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the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > artificially confined water > contrivance for impounding water > gate, lock, or sluice > other parts of
apron1721
pointing door1744
penstock1763
lock seat1787
rymer1794
trip-sill1905
1744 J. Grundy Scheme for Restoring & Making Navigation River Witham 35 There will be a Necessity for the following stop sluices, with pointing Doors next to the River.
1795 J. Phillips Gen. Hist. Inland Navigation (rev. ed.) Add. 178 A new sea sluice, with pointing doors to sea and land.
1941 Geogr. Jrnl. 97 219 The lodes are fitted either with locks or with timber pointing doors where they enter the main river system.
2001 Inland Waterway Assoc. Bull. Aug. The Environment Agency has announced the replacement of the guillotine gates at Upper Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers Locks on the River Nene, with the more conventional ‘pointing door’ gates.
pointing sill n. the sill of a pointing door.
ΚΠ
1872 J. G. Barnard Rep. on North Sea Canal of Holland 46 The hollow quoins, pointing-sills, steps and copings, will be of ashlar masonry.
2001 Water Power & Dam Constr. (Nexis) 31 Aug. 19 The dam comprises northern and southern connection dikes along with the edge piers, six water piers and seven pointing sills in the river bed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.11374
n.2c1425
n.31795
n.41976adj.1542