POI 



POI 



physical point is the same with what Mr. 

 Locke calls the point sensible, and which 

 he defines to be the least particle of mat- 

 ter, or space, we can discern. He adds, 

 that to the sharpest eye, this is seldom 

 less than thirty seconds ot'a circle, where- 

 of the eye is the centre. 



POINT, in grammar, a character used 

 to mark the divisions of discourse. A 

 point proper is that which we otiierwise 

 call a full stop or period. See PVNCTU- 

 ATION. 



POINT, in astronomy, a term applied 

 to certain points or places, marked in the 

 heavens, and dib'.inguished hy proper epi- 

 thets. The four grand points or divisions 

 of the horizon, viz. the east, west, north, 

 and south, are called the cardinal points. 

 The zenith and nadir are the vertical 

 points; the points wherein the orbits of the 

 planets cut the plane of the ecliptic are 

 called the nodes : the points wherein tiie 

 equator and ecliptic intersect are called 

 the equinoctial points ; particularly, that 

 whence the sun ascends towards the north 



Eole, is called the vernal point ; and that 

 y which he descends to the south pole, 

 the autumnal point. The points of the 

 ecliptic, where the sun's ascent above the 

 equator, and descent below it, terminate, 

 are called the solsticial points ; particu- 

 larly the former of them, the estiral, or 

 summer point ; the latter, the brumal or 

 winter point. 



POINT of the horizon, or compass, in 

 navigation and geography. 



POINT is also used for a cape or head- 

 land, jutting out into the sea: thus, sea- 

 men say, two points of the land are in one 

 another, when they are so in a right line 

 against each other, as that the innermost 

 is hindered from being seen by the outer- 

 most 



POINT, in perspective, is used for 

 various parts or places, with regard to 

 the perspective plane. See PERSPEC- 

 TIVE. 



POINTS, in heraldry, are the several 

 different parts of an escutcheon, dmoting 

 the local positions of any figure. There 

 are nine principal points in an escutche- 

 on : the dexter chief; the precise middle 

 chief; the sinister chief; the honour point; 

 the fess-point, called also the centre ; the 

 nombril-point, that is, the navel point ; 

 the dexter base ; the sinister base ; the 

 precise middle base. 



POINT is also used in heraldry for the 

 lowest part of the escutcheon, which usu- 

 ally terminates in a point. 



POINT is also an iron or steel instru- 

 ment, used with some variety in several 



arts. Engravers, etchers, cutters in 

 wood, 8tc. use points to trace their designs 

 on the copper, wood, stone, &c. See 

 ENOHAVING. 



POINT, in the manufactories, is a ge- 

 neral term used for all kinds of laces, 

 wrought with the needle ; such are the 

 point de Venice, point de France, point 

 de Genoa, &c. which are distinguished 

 by the particular economy and arrange- 

 ment of their points. Point is sometimes 

 used for lace woven with bobbins, as 

 English point, point de Malines, point 

 d'Havre, &c. 



POINT of view, with regard to build- 

 ing, painting, &c. is a point at a certain 

 distance from a building or other object, 

 in which the eye has the most advantage- 

 ous view of the same. This point is usu- 

 ally at a distance equal to the height of 

 the building. 



POINT blank, in gunnery, is the hori* 

 zontal position of a gun. The point blank 

 range is the distance the shot goes be- 

 fore it strikes the level ground, when dis- 

 charged in the horizontal or point blank 

 direction. See GUNNERY. 



POINTED, in heraldry. A cross point- 

 ed, is that which has the extremities turn- 

 ed off into points by straight lines. 



POINTING, in grammar, the art of 

 dividing a discourse, by points, into peri- 

 ods, and members of periods, in order to 

 show the proper pauses to be made in 

 reading, and to facilitate the pronuncia- 

 tion and understanding thereof. See 

 PUNCTUATION. 



POINTING, in war, the levelling a can- 

 non or mortar, so as to play against any 

 certain point. See GUNNERY, &c. 



POINTIVG the cable, in the sea lan- 

 guage, is untwisting it at the end, lessen- 

 ing the yarn, twisting it again, and making' 

 all fast with a piece of marline, to keep it 

 from ravelling out. 



POISONS, those substances which, 

 when applied externally, or taken into 

 the human body, uniformly cause such a 

 derangement of the animal economy as to 

 produce disease. As it is extremely dif- 

 ficult, however, to give a definition of a 

 poison, the above is subject to great in- 

 accuracy. Poisons are divided, with re- 

 spect to the kingdom to which they be- 

 long, into animal, vegetable, mineral, and 

 vaporous poisons. Poisons are only de- 

 leterious in certain doses ; for the most 

 active, in small doses, form very valuable 

 medicines. There are, nevertheless,certain 

 poisons, which are really such in the small- 

 est quantity, and which are never adminis- 

 tered medicinally, as many of the apiraal 



