point 
Bnt for y am n lewed man, paraunter y mi.it.- 
Passen par aventure & In som poynt errt-n. 
Fieri Plowman's Crede (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 848. 
Told him every poynt how he was slayn. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, I. 202. 
But in what particular poiitti the oracle wag, In faith I 
know not Sir P. Siihtey, Arcadia, i. 
You are now beyond all our fears, and have nothing to 
take heed on your self but fair ladies, A pretty point of 
security, and such a one :is all Germany cannot afford. 
Sir John SucHimj, Letters (104SX p. 86. 
8. Particular end, aim, purpose, or concern ; 
object desired : as, to gain one's point* 
The constant design of both these orators, in all their 
speeches, was, to drive some one particular point. 
Sw\fl, To a Young Clergyman. 
Our Swain, 
A very hero till his point was gained, 
Proved all unable to support the weight 
Of prosperous fortune. 
Wordsicorth, Excursion, vL 
I suppose the point of the exhibition lay in hearing the 
notes of love and Jealousy warbled with the lisp of child- 
hood ; and iu very bad taste that point was. 
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xi. 
The rain always made a point of setting In just as he had 
some out-door work to do. Irving, Rip Van Winkle. 
9t. Case; condition; situation; state; plight. 
He departed that Ryvere In 360 smale Ryvcres, because 
that he had sworn that he gcholde putte the Ryvere In 
surhr jw>.'/'i' that a Woman myghte wel passe there with- 
outen castynge of hire Clothes. 
Mamleville, Travels, p. 41. 
He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 13. 
And over yere thai wol been in goode pointe, 
Withouten scorf or scalle in cors or jointe. 
Palladia*, Husbondrie (E. E. T. H.), p. 1M. 
Amannt be-thonght hym that he myght come neuer in 
better poi/t to conquere his C'astell that he so loiige lnul.l 
loste, and sente after peple. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), it. 350. 
10*. A deed or feat; an exploit. 
Yf thow durst, par ma fay, 
A poynt of armys undertake, 
Thow broke her wille fore ay. 
Torrent of Portnyal, p. 3. (HalliuxU.) 
11. A mark made by the end of a sharp in- 
strument, such as a pin, needle, pen, etc.; a 
dot or other sign to mark separation, to mea- 
sure from, etc. Specifically (a) A mark of punctua- 
tion ; a character used to mark the divisions of composi- 
tion, or the pauses to be observed in reading or speaking, 
as the comma t. >, the semicolon (;), the colon (:), and espe- 
cially the period or full stop (.). 
There abruptly it did end, 
Without full point, or other fesure right 
Spenser, V. Q., II. x. 68. 
Who shall teach the propriety and nature of points and 
accents of letters? Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 168. 
But thy Name all the Letters make; 
Whate er 'tis writ I flnd That there, 
Like Points and Comma's ev'ry where. 
Cotvley, The Mistress, The Thief. 
Hence (ft) A stop; a conclusion; a period. 
And ther a pount; for ended is my tale. 
Chaucer, Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 409. 
(c) A diacritical mark, indicating a Towel, or other modi- 
fication of sound : especially in Hebrew, Arabic, etc. <d) 
A dot used in writing numbers (1) inserted after the 
units' place to show where the decimals begin (specifically 
called a decimal point) ; or (2) placed over a repeating de- 
cimal, or over the flrst and last figures of a circulating de- 
cimal : thus, 3 = .83; ?J = 1.25S7: or(3)used tosepnratea 
series of figures representing a number into periods of a 
certain number of figures each, (e) In musical notation, a 
dot affixed to a note, either after it, to increase its time- 
value (see dot), or above or below it, as a sign of a staccato 
effect (see staccato). (/) A speck or spot ; a jot ; a trace ; 
hence, figuratively, a very small quantity. 
Thei cowde not in hym espi no poynte of covetise. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 106. 
12. An object having position but not exten- 
sion, (a) A place having spatial position but no size; 
the uninterrupted common limit of four three-dimensional 
spaces. 
We sometimes speak of space, or do suppose a point in 
it, at such a distance from any part of the universe. Locke. 
All rays proceeding from a point pass through a single 
point after reflexion, because they undergo a change in 
their direction greater in proportion as the point of the 
mirror struck is distant from the principal axis. 
Lommel, Light (trans. X p. 4i 
(b) In astron.. a certain place marked in the heavens, or 
distinguished for iU importance in astronomical calcula- 
tions : as, vertical points (the zenith and the nadir) ; equi- 
noctial points; solstitial points, (c) In pertp., any defini- 
tive position with reference to the perspective plane ; as, 
point of sight ; vanishing-point, (d) That which has posi- 
tion in time, but no definite continuance ; an Instant of 
time. 
And a-noon as he was comen his felowes recouered that 
were in pointe to leve place. Merlin (E. E. T. S.). III. 450. 
The period of his IHenry V. 's] accession is described as 
a point of time at which his character underwent some 
sort of change. Stubbs. Const Hist, 645. 
13. Precise limit or degree; especially, the 
precise degree of temperature : as, the boiling- 
point of water. 
45R3 
Oh, furious desire, how like a whirlwind 
Thou hurriest me beyond mine honour's point / 
Beau, and Pi., Knight of Malta, I. 1. 
They [the Jesuits] appear to have discovered the precise 
point to which Intellectual culture can be carried without 
risk of intellectual emancipation. 
Macaulay, Hilt Knit., vi. 
14. A small unit of measurement, (a) A linear 
unit, the tenth part of a geometrical line, the twelfth part 
of a French line, (b) In typog., a 
type-founding unit of measure ; in 
4 POINT. 
die United States about one seven- 
ty-second of an inch. It regulates 
the bodies and defines numerically 
different sizes of types. The body 
of pica, for Instance, is 1-2 points 
in size, and the new designation 
for pica Is 12 point. The French 
(Dlilot) point Is larger. Twelve 
points French are nearly equal to 
thirteen points American. The 
point system was Introduced In 
1737 by Founder the younger, a 
typc-founderof Paris. As made by 
him, this point was not a regular 
fraction of any legally prescribed 
measure. Francols-Ambrolse Dl- 
dot readjusted this point as a 
fraction of the standard royal foot, 
in which form it was gradually 
accepted by the printing-trades of 
Franceand Germany. The Ameri- 
can point was adopted by the 
United States Type-Founders' As- 
sociation In 1883, and made of 
smaller size, to prevent a too 
marked disturbance of the sizes 
then in regular use. The old names 
of types and their relation to each other are shown by 
the number of points assigned to each size in the follow- 
ing table : 
point 
Al In a klrtel of a lyght waget, 
Ful fulre and thlkke been thepu>i(rset. 
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, 1. ISC. 
I pray yow bryng horn poyntt and lasys of silk for you 
and me. Patton Utters, II. 868. 
He made hi* pen of the aglet of a point that he plucked 
from his hose, l.atttiur, 4th Sermon bet. Edw. VI., 1540. 
In matters not worth a hlewe poinct . . . we will spare 
for no cost. L'dall, tr. of Apophthegms of Erasmus, p. 8. 
Full large of llinbe and every Joint 
He was, and cared not for Hod or man a point. 
Speiaer, . y., I. II. 12. 
20. A fastening resembling a tagged lacing, 
(a) A short narrow strip of leather sewed to any part of 
harness to form a buckling-strap. (b) Kaut., a short piece 
of rope or sennit used in reefing sails. See rerjiiuj-puiut. 
21. In fencing, a stab or puncture with the 
point of a sword ; a blow with the button of the 
foil when properly directed : as, he can give me 
three /mint.* in ten (i. e., lie can make ten hits 
or points on me while I make seven on him). 
22. In her.: (a) One of the nine recognized 
positions on the shield which denote the local- 
Points. 
Name of Type. 
Points. 
Name o( Ty|r. 
3. 
. . Excelsior 
14.. 
English 
si. 
. . Brilliant 
16.. 
.Two-line brevier 
4.. 
. . Semi-brevier 
18.. 
.Great primer 
4). 
. Diamond 
20.. 
. Paragon 
B.. 
. . Pearl 
22.. 
Two-line small pica 
'* 
. Agate 
24.. 
Two-line pica 
6 
. .Nonpareil 
28.. 
Two-line English 
7.. 
..Minion 
82.. 
. Four-line brevier 
8.. 
..Brevier 
36.. 
.Three-line pica 
.. 
. . Bourgeois 
40.. 
. Double paragon 
10.. 
. . Long primer 
44 
. Four-line small pica 
11.. 
. .Small pica 
48... 
. Four-line pica. 
IS.. 
. Pica 
(c) \tint , an angular unit, one eighth of n right angle, or 
111, being the angle between adjacent points of the com- 
pass (see compass, n., 7): as, to bring the ship up half a 
point. 
I find the compass of their doctrine took in two and 
thirty points. Stc\ft, Tale of a Tub, viil. 
15. A unit of fluctuation of price per share or 
other standard of reference on the exchanges, 
etc. In stock transactions In the United States a point 
Is tl (or in Oreat Britain U i: in coffee and cotton it is 
the hundredth part of a cent, and in oil, grain, pork, etc., 
one cent : as, Erie preferred has declined five points; cof- 
fee has gone up '200 point*. 
In the afternoon there bad been one of the usual flurries 
in the " street." Zenith and Xadir preferred had gone off 
three point* The Century, XXXVIII. 209. 
16. A unit of count in a game (compare def. 
19) ; hence, an advantage in any struggle : as, I 
have gained a point. 
Charles's impudence and had character are great point* 
in my favour. Sheridan, School for Scandal, Iv. 2. 
17. \\ipiquet, the numberof cards in the longest 
suit of a hand: as, what is your pointt Six. 
18. In lare-maHtiy, needle-point lace: as, Alen- 
con point; Dresd'en point; a collar of point. 
See cut under lace. Vied In the plural, the term de- 
notes lace, especially fine lace in general: as, a christen 
ing-robe trimmed with French points; especially so used 
in the eighteenth century, in such phrases as " he is well In 
point*" that is, well supplied with lace. Point Is also 
used freely in English in connection with the decorative 
arts (as a tapestry of Beanvais pointX referring to some 
peculiar kind of work, and is even applied to bobbin- 
face and the like. It also denotes vaguely a pattern or 
a feature of a pattern in works of embroidery and tin; 
like, usually in connection with the stitch or the peculiar 
method of work which produces it. Thus, denteue, point 
d' Anileterre, means literally lace, English style of work, 
bat the phrase English point is more often used for it, 
causing great confusion with the proper sense of needle- 
point lace. See lace. 
We shall all ha' bride-lace* 
Or point*. B. Jonson, Tale of a Tub, i. i 
19. A lace with tags at the end. 
Such laces, about eight inches long, con- 
sisting often of three differently colored 
strands of yarn twisted together and hav- 
ing their ends wrapped with iron, were 
used in the middle ages to fasten the 
clothes together, but gave place to but- 
tons in the seventeenth century. They 
were also made of silk or leather. They 
or their tags were much used as small 
stakes in Raining, as forfeit*, counters, p u ints in Costume, 
and gratuities uses explaining many 
allusions in old writers, especially the figurative use of 
the word for a small value, or a thing of small value. 
The Nine PoinU of the Shield. 
A, dexter chief point : B. chief point ; c, minister chief point : n, 
honor point: E. fesse-point ; F. nombnl; c, base or flank point; H. 
dexlcr Itase point ; I, sinister tase point. 
ity of figures or charges, (b) The middle part 
of either the chief or the base as distinguished 
from the dexter and sinister cantons. (<) A 
bearing which occupies the base of the es- 
cutcheon. It is usually considered as a pile reversed 
that is, rising from the base and reaching to the upper 
edge of the escutcheon ; but it is very often of less he Ignt, 
reaching only to the fesse-point or to the nnmbnl, and 
sometimes is merely the base itself bounded by a hori- 
zontal line separating It from the rest of the field. Plain 
point is especially treated in the way last mentioned. 
The bearing Is very rare In English armory, and hence 
some writers treat it as synonymous with base, and 
others as synonymous with pile reversed. It is also cus- 
tomary to represent the sides of the sharply angled point 
as concavely curved, while those of the pile are straight 
(rf) A division of the field barwise: thus, three 
1'iniiii gules, argent, and azure, means that the 
field is divided into three horizontal stripes, of 
which the uppermost is red, the middle one 
silver, etc. 23*. Ordinance; law; act. 
The comyns of tills present veld affennen and enacte alle 
the poiinUs of this > t-lil. for the grete ease, pease, profit 3, 
and trenquilite of the Cyte. 
Enylish Qildt (E. E. T. *.), p. 404. 
24f. A slur; an indignity. 
But the trlet men of Troy trail in hym cald, 
And mony pointtet on hym pat for his pure shame, 
That dlsseruet full duly the dethc for to haue. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 7900. 
25. The action or attitude of a dog in pointing 
game: as, he comes to a point well. 
In the pointer and setter, the At almost always occurs 
just after a point, the excitement of which appears to act 
upon the brain. Dogs of Great Brit, and America, p. 349. 
26. In games: (a) In cricket, a fielder who stands 
at a short distance to the right of the batsman, 
and slightly in front of him. See diagram 
under cricket*, (b) In Incroxse, a player who 
stands a short distance in front of the goal, 
and whose duty is to prevent the ball from 
passing through the goal, (c) jit. In basc-baU, 
the position occupied by the pitcher. 27. A 
thing to be pointed at, or the mere act of 
pointing; especially, a flitch of bacon or the 
like, which is not eaten, but only pointed at 
as a pretense for seasoning: as, to dine on 
potatoes and point (that is. on nothing but po- 
tatoes): a jocular expression in vogue in Ire- 
land. 
Their universal sustenance is the root named potato, 
. . . generally without condiment or relish of any kind, 
save an unknown condiment named point. 
Cariyle, Sartor Resartus. 
28f. A particular signal given, as by the blast 
of a trumpet or the beat of a drum; hence, a 
note; a call. 
On a sadden we were alarmed with the noise of a dram, 
and Immediately entered my little godson to give me a 
point of war. Steele, Tatler, No. 95. 
The trumpets and kettledrums of the cavalry were next 
heard to perform the beautiful and wild point of war, ap- 
propriated as a signal for that piece of nocturnal duty. 
f-ciitt, Warerley, xlvi. 
29. Iu niuxir. the entrance of a voice or an in- 
strument with an important theme or motive. 
Accidental point, see (irn'./.-n/nl Acting point, in 
physics, the exact point at which any impulse is given. 
