pointer

[ poin-ter ]

noun

1. a person or thing that points none.
2. a long, tapering stick used by teachers, lecturers, etc., in pointing things out on a map, blackboard, or the like.
3. the hand on a watch dial, clock face, scale, etc.
4. Military. the member of an artillery crew who aims the weapon.
5. one of a breed of short-haired hunting dogs trained to point game.
6. a piece of advice, especially on how to succeed in a specific area:

   The food expert gave some good pointers on making better salads.

   Synonyms: caution, suggestion, hint, tip

7. Computers.
   1. an identifier giving the location in storage of something of interest, as a data item, table, or subroutine.
   2. a moveable icon in a graphical user interface, as an arrow, that marks the user’s location in the interface relative to areas of the screen where user input is possible. cursor ( def 1 ).
8. Pointers, Astronomy. the two outer stars of the Big Dipper that lie on a line that passes very near Polaris and are used for finding it.

pointer

/ ˈpɔɪntə /

noun

1. a person or thing that points
2. an indicator on a measuring instrument
3. a long rod or cane used by a lecturer to point to parts of a map, blackboard, etc
4. one of a breed of large swift smooth-coated dogs, usually white with black, liver, or lemon markings: when on shooting expeditions it points to the bird with its nose, body, and tail in a straight line
5. a helpful piece of information or advice

Word History and Origins

Origin of pointer¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; point none + -er ¹none

Example Sentences

That’s a pointer to one of Musk’s most dearly held goals, which is to populate Mars with humans, transported to the Red Planet presumably by Musk’s rocketship company SpaceX.

From Los Angeles Times

The closest they came was when LeBron James flipped the ball to his son, but the Lakers’ rookie guard missed the three pointer.

From Los Angeles Times

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, in a book published earlier this year, detailed how she killed her 14-month wirehair pointer because the puppy was proving too hard to train.

From Salon

The show began around 11 a.m. and ended about 12 hours later; some acts on early in the day — including the Pointer Sisters and Evelyn “Champagne” King — had all of 10 or 15 minutes to do their thing.

From Los Angeles Times

For the most recent study, they focused on German short/wirehaired pointer, mastiff, Newfoundland, Rhodesian ridgeback and Siberian husky.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• clue