Chapter 1173

For poetry is the blossom and the fragrance of all human knowledge, human thoughts, human passions, emotions, language. Coleridge.

2. Imaginative language or composition, whether expressed rhythmically or in prose. Specifically: Metrical composition; verse; rhyme; poems collectively; as, heroic poetry ; dramatic poetry ; lyric or Pindaric poetry . "The planetlike music of poetry ."

Sir P. Sidney.

She taketh most delight In music, instruments, and poetry . Shak.

Poetship <Xpage=105>

Po"et*ship , n. The state or personality of a poet. [R.]

Poggy <Xpage=105>

Pog"gy (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) (a) See Porgy . (b) A small whale.

Pogy <Xpage=105>

Po"gy (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The menhaden.

&hand; Pogy is often confounded with porgy , and therefore incorrectly applied to various fishes.

Poh <Xpage=105>

Poh (?) , interj. An exclamation expressing contempt or disgust; bah !

Pohagen <Xpage=105>

Po*ha"gen , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Pauhaugen .

Poi <Xpage=105>

Po"i (?) , n. A national food of the Hawaiians, made by baking and pounding the kalo (or taro) root, and reducing it to a thin paste, which is allowed to ferment.

Poicile, &or; P\'d2cile <Xpage=105>

Poi"ci*le (?) , &or; P\'d2"ci*le (?) , n. [NL., fr. Gr. <?/ (sc. <?/); cf. L. poecile .] The frescoed porch or gallery in Athens where Zeno taught.

R. Browning.

Poignancy <Xpage=105>

Poign"an*cy (?) , n. The quality or state of being poignant; as, the poignancy of satire; the poignancy of grief.

Swift.

Poignant <Xpage=105>

Poign"ant (?) , a. [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent .] 1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. "His poignant spear." Spenser . " Poynaunt sauce." Chaucer .

2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.

His wit . . . became more lively and poignant . Sir W. Scott.

Poignantly <Xpage=105>

Poign"ant*ly , adv. In a poignant manner.

Poikilitic <Xpage=105>

Poi`ki*lit"ic (?) , a. (Geol.) See P\'d2cilitic .

Poikilocyte <Xpage=105>

Poi"ki*lo*cyte (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ diversified, changeable + <?/ hollow vessel.] (Physiol.) An irregular form of corpuscle found in the blood in cases of profound an\'91mia, probably a degenerated red blood corpuscle.

Poikilothermal, Poikilothermic <Xpage=105>

Poi`ki*lo*ther"mal (?) , Poi`ki*lo*ther"mic (?) , a. [Gr. <?/ changeable + E. thermal , thermic .] (Physiol.) Having a varying body temperature. See Homoiothermal .

Poikilothermous <Xpage=105>

Poi`ki*lo*ther"mous (?) , a. (Physiol.) Poikilothermal.

Poinciana <Xpage=105>

Poin`ci*a"na (?) , n. [NL. Named after M. de Poinci , a governor of the French West Indies.] (Bot.) A prickly tropical shrub ( C\'91salpinia, formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima ), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

&hand; The genus Poinciana is kept up for three trees of Eastern Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and India.

Poind <Xpage=105>

Poind (?) , v. t. [See Pound to confine.] 1. To impound, as cattle. [Obs. or Scot.]

Flavel.

2. To distrain. [Scot.]

Sir W. Scott.

Poinder <Xpage=105>

Poind"er (?) , n. 1. The keeper of a cattle pound; a pinder. [Obs. or Scot.]

T. Adams.

2. One who distrains property. [Scot.]

Jamieson.

Poinsettia <Xpage=105>

Poin*set"ti*a (?) , n. [NL. Named after Joel R. Poinsett of South Carolina.] (Bot.) A Mexican shrub ( Euphorbia pulcherrima ) with very large and conspicuous vermilion bracts below the yellowish flowers.

Point <Xpage=105>

Point (?) , v. t. & i. To appoint. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Point <Xpage=105>

Point , n. [F. point , and probably also pointe , L. punctum , puncta , fr. pungere , punctum , to prick. See Pungent , and cf. Puncto , Puncture .] 1. That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

2. An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter's point ; -- called also pointer .

3. Anything which tapers to a sharp, well-defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line.

4. The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick.

5. An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, -- sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced.

6. An indivisible portion of time; a moment; an instant; hence, the verge.

When time's first point begun Made he all souls. Sir J. Davies.

7. A mark of punctuation; a character used to mark the divisions of a composition, or the pauses to be observed in reading, or to point off groups of figures, etc.; a stop, as a comma, a semicolon, and esp. a period; hence, figuratively, an end, or conclusion.

And there a point , for ended is my tale. Chaucer.

Commas and points they set exactly right. Pope.

8. Whatever serves to mark progress, rank, or relative position, or to indicate a transition from one state or position to another, degree; step; stage; hence, position or condition attained; as, a point of elevation, or of depression; the stock fell off five points ; he won by ten points . "A point of precedence." Selden . "Creeping on from point to point ." Tennyson .

A lord full fat and in good point . Chaucer.

9. That which arrests attention, or indicates qualities or character; a salient feature; a characteristic; a peculiarity; hence, a particular; an item; a detail; as, the good or bad points of a man, a horse, a book, a story, etc .

He told him, point for point , in short and plain. Chaucer.

In point of religion and in point of honor. Bacon.

Shalt thou dispute With Him the points of liberty ? Milton.

10. Hence, the most prominent or important feature, as of an argument, discourse, etc.; the essential matter; esp., the proposition to be established; as, the point of an anecdote . "Here lies the point ."

Shak.

They will hardly prove his point . Arbuthnot.

11. A small matter; a trifle; a least consideration; a punctilio.

This fellow doth not stand upon points . Shak.

[He] cared not for God or man a point . Spenser.

12. (Mus.) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time ; as: (a) (Anc. Mus.) A dot or mark distinguishing or characterizing certain tones or styles; as, points of perfection, of augmentation, etc .; hence, a note; a tune. "Sound the trumpet -- not a levant, or a flourish, but a point of war." Sir W. Scott . (b) (Mod. Mus.) A dot placed at the right hand of a note, to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half, as to make a whole note equal to three half notes, a half note equal to three quarter notes.

13. (Astron.) A fixed conventional place for reference, or zero of reckoning, in the heavens, usually the intersection of two or more great circles of the sphere, and named specifically in each case according to the position intended; as, the equinoctial points ; the solstitial points ; the nodal points ; vertical points , etc. See Equinoctial Nodal .

14. (Her.) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon .

15. (Naut.) (a) One of the points of the compass (see Points of the compass , below); also, the difference between two points of the compass; as, to fall off a point . (b) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. See Reef point , under Reef .

16. (Anc. Costume) A a string or lace used to tie together certain parts of the dress.

Sir W. Scott.

17. Lace wrought the needle; as, point de Venise; Brussels point . See Point lace , below.

18. pl. (Railways) A switch. [Eng.]

19. An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. [Cant, U. S.]

20. (Cricket) A fielder who is stationed on the off side, about twelve or fifteen yards from, and a little in advance of, the batsman.

21. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game; as, the dog came to a point . See Pointer .

22. (Type Making) A standard unit of measure for the size of type bodies, being one twelfth of the thickness of pica type. See Point system of type , under Type .

23. A tyne or snag of an antler.

24. One of the spaces on a backgammon board.

25. (Fencing) A movement executed with the saber or foil; as, tierce point .

&hand; The word point is a general term, much used in the sciences, particularly in mathematics, mechanics, perspective, and physics, but generally either in the geometrical sense, or in that of degree, or condition of change, and with some accompanying descriptive or qualifying term, under which, in the vocabulary, the specific uses are explained; as, boiling point , carbon point , dry point , freezing point , melting point , vanishing point , etc.

At all points , in every particular, completely; perfectly. Shak. -- At point , In point , At , In , &or; On, the point , as near as can be; on the verge; about (see About , prep. , 6); as, at the point of death; he was on the point of speaking . " In point to fall down." Chaucer . "Caius Sidius Geta, at point to have been taken, recovered himself so valiantly as brought day on his side." Milton . -- Dead point . (Mach.) Same as Dead center , under Dead . -- Far point (Med.) , in ophthalmology, the farthest point at which objects are seen distinctly. In normal eyes the nearest point at which objects are seen distinctly; either with the two eyes together ( binocular near point ), or with each eye separately ( monocular near point ). -- Nine points of the law , all but the tenth point; the greater weight of authority. -- On the point . See At point , above. -- Point lace , lace wrought with the needle, as distinguished from that made on the pillow. -- Point net , a machine-made lace imitating a kind of Brussels lace (Brussels ground). -- Point of concurrence (Geom.) , a point common to two lines, but not a point of tangency or of intersection, as, for instance, that in which a cycloid meets its base. -- Point of contrary flexure , a point at which a curve changes its direction of curvature, or at which its convexity and concavity change sides. -- Point of order , in parliamentary practice, a question of order or propriety under the rules. -- Point of sight (Persp.) , in a perspective drawing, the point assumed as that occupied by the eye of the spectator. -- Point of view , the relative position from which anything is seen or any subject is considered. -- Points of the compass (Naut.) , the thirty-two points of division of the compass card in the mariner's compass; the corresponding points by which the circle of the horizon is supposed to be divided, of which the four marking the directions of east, west, north, and south, are called cardinal points , and the rest are named from their respective directions, as N. by E., N. N. E., N. E. by N., N. E., etc. See Illust . under Compass . -- Point paper , paper pricked through so as to form a stencil for transferring a design. -- Point system of type . See under Type . -- Singular point (Geom.) , a point of a curve which possesses some property not possessed by points in general on the curve, as a cusp, a point of inflection, a node, etc. -- To carry one's point , to accomplish one's object, as in a controversy. -- To make a point of , to attach special importance to. -- To make , &or; gain , a point , accomplish that which was proposed; also, to make advance by a step, grade, or position. -- To mark , &or; score , a point , as in billiards, cricket, etc., to note down, or to make, a successful hit, run, etc. -- To strain a point , to go beyond the proper limit or rule; to stretch one's authority or conscience. -- Vowel point , in Hebrew, and certain other Eastern and ancient languages, a mark placed above or below the consonant, or attached to it, representing the vowel, or vocal sound, which precedes or follows the consonant.

Point <Xpage=105>

Point (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Pointed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Pointing .] [Cf. F. pointer . See Point , n. ] 1. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart, or a pencil . Used also figuratively; as, to point a moral .

2. To direct toward an abject; to aim; as, to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort .

3. Hence, to direct the attention or notice of.

Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them. Pope.

4. To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate; as, to point a composition .

5. To mark (as Hebrew) with vowel points.

6. To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to indicate, as if by pointing; as, the error was pointed out .

Pope.

He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech. Dickens.

7. To indicate or discover by a fixed look, as game.

8. (Masonry) To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

9. (Stone Cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool.

To point a rope (Naut.) , to taper and neatly finish off the end by interweaving the nettles. -- To point a sail (Naut.) , to affix points through the eyelet holes of the reefs. -- To point off , to divide into periods or groups, or to separate, by pointing, as figures. -- To point the yards (of a vessel) (Naut.) , to brace them so that the wind shall strike the sails obliquely. Totten.

<-- p. 106 -->

Point <Xpage=106>

Point (point) , v. i. 1. To direct the point of something, as of a finger, for the purpose of designating an object, and attracting attention to it; -- with at .

Now must the world point at poor Katharine. Shak.

Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe. Dryden.

2. To indicate the presence of game by fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do.

He treads with caution, and he points with fear. Gay.

3. (Med.) To approximate to the surface; to head; -- said of an abscess.

To point at , to treat with scorn or contempt by pointing or directing attention to. -- To point well (Naut.) , to sail close to the wind; -- said of a vessel.

Pointal <Xpage=106>

Point"al (?) , n. [From Point : cf. F. pointal an upright wooden prop, OF. pointille a prick or prickle.]

1. (Bot.) The pistil of a plant.

2. A kind of pencil or style used with the tablets of the Middle Ages. "A pair of tablets [ i. e. , tablets] . . . and a pointel ."

Chaucer.

3. (Arch.) See Poyntel . [Obs. or R.]

Point-blank <Xpage=106>

Point`-blank" (?) , n. [F. point point + blanc white.] 1. The white spot on a target, at which an arrow or other missile is aimed. [Obs.]

Jonson.

2. (Mil.) (a) With all small arms, the second point in which the natural line of sight, when horizontal, cuts the trajectory. (b) With artillery, the point where the projectile first strikes the horizontal plane on which the gun stands, the axis of the piece being horizontal.

Point-blank <Xpage=106>

Point`-blank" , a. 1. Directed in a line toward the object aimed at; aimed directly toward the mark.

2. Hence, direct; plain; unqualified; -- said of language; as, a point-blank assertion .

Point-blank range , the extent of the apparent right line of a ball discharged. -- Point-blank shot , the shot of a gun pointed directly toward the object to be hit.

Point-blank <Xpage=106>

Point`-blank" , adv. In a point-blank manner.

To sin point-blank against God's word. Fuller.

<-- the following foreign words had no mark in front, in the original. Why? --> Point d'appui <Xpage=106>

Point` d'ap`pui" (?) . [F.] (Mil.) See under Appui .

Point-device, Point-devise <Xpage=106>

Point`-de*vice" , Point`-de*vise" (?) , a. [OE. at point devis ; at at + point point, condition + devis exact, careful, OF. devis fixed, set. See Device .] Uncommonly nice and exact; precise; particular.

You are rather point-devise in your accouterments. Shak.

Thus he grew up, in logic point-devise , Perfect in grammar, and in rhetoric nice. Longfellow.

Point-device, Point-devise <Xpage=106>

Point`-de*vice" , Point`-de*vise" , adv. Exactly. [Obs.]

Shak.

Pointed <Xpage=106>

Point"ed (?) , a. 1. Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock .

2. Characterized by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing.

His moral pleases, not his pointed wit. Pope.

Pointed arch (Arch.) , an arch with a pointed crown. -- Pointed style (Arch.) , a name given to that style of architecture in which the pointed arch is the predominant feature; -- more commonly called Gothic .

-- Point"ed*ly , adv. -- Point"ed*ness , n.

Pointel <Xpage=106>

Point"el (?) , n. [From Point . Cf. Pointal .] See Pointal .

Pointer <Xpage=106>

Point"er (?) , n. One who, or that which, points. Specifically: (a) The hand of a timepiece . (b) (Zo\'94l.) One of a breed of dogs trained to stop at scent of game, and with the nose point it out to sportsmen . (c) pl. (Astron.) The two stars (Merak and Dubhe) in the Great Bear, the line between which points nearly in the direction of the north star . See Illust . of Ursa Major . (b) pl. (Naut.) Diagonal braces sometimes fixed across the hold.

Pointing <Xpage=106>