pointer

(poin'tər)

1. One that directs, indicates, or points.
2. A scale indicator on a watch, balance, or other measuring instrument.
3. A long tapered stick for indicating objects, as on a chart or blackboard.
4. Any of a breed of hunting dogs that points game, typically having a smooth, short-haired coat that is usually white with black or brownish spots.
5. 1. A piece of advice; a suggestion.
   2. A piece of indicative information: interest rates and other pointers in the economic forecast.
6. Computer Science. A variable that holds the address of a core storage location.
7. Computer Science. A symbol appearing on a display screen in a GUI that lets the user select a command by clicking with a pointing device or pressing the enter key when the pointer symbol is positioned on the appropriate button or icon.
8. Either of the two stars in the Big Dipper that are aligned so as to point to Polaris.

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German short-haired pointer (credit: Sally Anne Thompson)

Dog breed, of hound, spaniel, and setter ancestry, first recorded c. 1650 in Great Britain and named for the dog's rigid posture in the direction of quarry. Pointers were originally used to point out hares and were later trained as bird dogs. The pointer stands 23 – 28 in. (58 – 71 cm) tall and weighs 50 – 75 lb (23 – 34 kg); it has a long muzzle, hanging ears, tapered tail, and a short, smooth coat, usually white with dark markings. The German short-haired pointer, another sporting breed, tracks, points, and retrieves; it is about the size of a pointer and has a short coat of solid liver colour or liver and gray-white.

For more information on pointer, visit Britannica.com.

(1) In database management, an address embedded within the data that specifies the location of data in another record or file.

(2) In programming, a variable that holds the address of another variable or the address of the beginning of an array of variables. When a pointer to an array is used, it is made to point to any element in the array by incrementing or decrementing its contents (incrementing or decrementing the address). See subscript.

(3) A symbol used to point to some element on screen. See cursor.

(4) See symbolic link and redirection.

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1. Small arrow or other symbol on a computer screen that moves as the mouse is moved.

2. In computer programming, a special type of symbol that stands for a value that holds a memory address (that is, it points to a memory location).

3. see flag.

noun

An item of advance or inside information given as a guide to action: steer, tip³. Informal tip-off. See knowledge/ignorance.

(Fr.)

Term used in French Baroque music to indicate that notes written as equal be played in a dotted rhythm (see Notes inègales); it could also simply mean staccato.

An injury such as a contusion or avulsion of muscle attachments at a bony prominence.

• dog
• Hunting Equipment - pointer: any of certain breeds of dog used for pointing birds

Dansk (Danish)
n. - pegepind, viser, fingerpeg

Nederlands (Dutch)
aanwijzing, staande hond, wijzer, iemand die aanwijst, twee sterren in de grote beer die naar de noordster wijzen

Français (French)
n. - indication, chien d'arrêt, pointer, baguette (enseignement), flèche (d'un écran de projecteur), (Comput) pointer

Deutsch (German)
n. - Vorstehhund, Hinweis, Fingerzeig, Tip, Pointer, Zeiger, Zeigestock

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δείκτης, ενδεικτική βελόνα, χάρακας, νύξη, πόιντερ (ράτσα σκυλιών)

Italiano (Italian)
cane da ferma, cane da punta, indicazione, pointer, bacchetta

Português (Portuguese)
n. - ponteiro (m), pointer (m) (Zool.), sinal (m)

Русский (Russian)
пойнтер, указатель, стрелка

Español (Spanish)
n. - perro de muestra, indicación, indicador, aguja, manecilla, fiel

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - pointer (fågelhund), pekpinne, visare, fingervisning, påpekande, tips

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
指示物, 教鞭, 指针, 猎犬

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 指示物, 教鞭, 指標, 獵犬

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 지시하는 사람, 지시봉

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 指し示すもの, 棒, 針, 忠告, ポインター, 指針, ポインタ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مؤشر, محدد, معين‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כלב-ציד, פוינטר (סוג כלב), מחוג, מחוון, חוטר, מחווה, רמז‬

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