pointer

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(poin'tər) pronunciation
n.
  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.
    1. A piece of advice; a suggestion.
    2. A piece of indicative information: interest rates and other pointers in the economic forecast.
  5. Computer Science. A variable that holds the address of a core storage location.
  6. 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.
  7. Either of the two stars in the Big Dipper that are aligned so as to point to Polaris.


German short-haired pointer
(click to enlarge)
German short-haired pointer (credit: Sally Anne Thompson)
Dog breed, of hound, spaniel, and setter ancestry, first recorded 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 2328 in. (5871 cm) tall and weighs 5075 lb (2334 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.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your PC, iPhone or Android.

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.

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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.



pointer, breed of large sporting dog developed in England more than 300 years ago. It stands between 23 and 26 in. (58.4-66.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 50 and 60 lb (22.7-27.2 kg). Its short, dense, shiny coat may be solid liver, black, yellow, or orange, or, more frequently, white with any of these colors as markings. The pointer is a scent hunter used for upland game birds. Having located its quarry, it stands rigidly poised with its body and nose facing the game, thus directing the hunter to it. Bred from crosses of foxhound, greyhound, and bloodhound with an early "setting" spaniel, the pointer was originally used to find and point hares, which were then chased and killed by greyhounds. With the rise in popularity of wing-shooting in the early 1700s, the pointer quickly became regarded as an expert gundog, a reputation it continues to enjoy today. The term pointer is also widely used to designate a dog of any breed that characteristically points its quarry. See dog.


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

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'pointer'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to pointer, see:

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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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