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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

point

/pɔɪnt/
Something tiny, as a pinprick; a very small mark.

    Etymology graph

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    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    From Middle English poynt, from Old French point m (“dot; minute amount”), from Latin pūnctum (“a hole punched in; a point, puncture”), substantive use of pūnctus m, perfect passive participle of pungō (“to prick, punch”); alternatively, from Old French pointe f (“sharp tip”), from Latin pūncta f (past participle), all from Proto-Italic *pungō (“to sting, prick”).

    Mostly displaced native Middle English ord (“point”), from Old English ord (“point”). Doublet of pointe, ponto, puncto, punctum, punt, and punto.

    Etymology 2

    From Middle English pointen, poynten, from Old French pointier, pointer, poynter, from point from Latin pūnctum.

    Etymology 3

    From Middle English pointen, poynten, by apheresis of apointen, appointen, appoynten. See appoint.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishpoynt
      • borrowedOld Frenchpoint
        • inheritedLatinpūnctum “point”
          • derivedLatinpūnctus
            • derivedLatinpungō “prick”
              • inheritedProto-Italic*pungō
                • derivedProto-Indo-European*pewǵ- “to strike, punch, stab”

    Related: English punt (doublet), English pointe (doublet), English punto (doublet), English ponto (doublet), English punctum (doublet), English puncto (doublet), Middle English ord, Old English ord

    Words built on it: point out, point-free, Start Point, point-to-point

    Meanings

    noun
    1. Something tiny, as a pinprick; a very small mark.
    2. A full stop or other terminal punctuation mark.
    3. A decimal point (now especially when reading decimal fractions aloud).
    4. Each of the marks or strokes written above letters, especially in Semitic languages, to indicate vowels, stress etc.
    5. A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time. In ancient music, it distinguished or characterized certain tones or styles (points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.). In modern music, it is placed on the right of a note to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half.
    6. A note; a tune.
    intj
    1. Point taken; understood; got it.
    verb
    1. To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.
    2. To draw attention to something or indicate a direction.
    3. To face in a particular direction.
    4. To direct toward an object; to aim.
    5. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end.
    6. To indicate a probability of something.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: point