Pointing

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Directing attention by showing a particular place or object ; calling focus to a fact or item of interest ; communicating meaning or intent through hand or finger gestures
2. Showing or identifying a specific location or object by aiming a finger or marker ; emphasizing a detail or idea to highlight its importance ; expressing information nonverbally with physical gestures
3. Using a finger or hand motion to specify a position ; making clear or obvious a point to others ; conveying messages or commands through bodily movements

Etymology: "Pointing" is simply "point" with the suffix "-ing" added, and the verb "point" comes from Middle English "poynten," which itself derives from the noun "point." The word's core idea is the physical sharpness of a tip: a point is a sharp end, and to point was originally to make something sharp or direct it at a target. From that concrete notion of aiming a tip at something, the verb grew to mean indicating a direction with a finger or hand. The later senses build on that same act of aiming. Using a hand to single out a spot became a way of drawing attention to something, and from there "pointing" came to mean making a case clear, as when a speaker points out a flaw in an argument. The sense of conveying commands through bodily gesture follows the same logic: the body is used to direct someone's attention to a target, just as a sharpened point would be aimed.

Synonyms: indicating, gesturing