poynt

English

Noun

poynt (plural poynts)

1. Obsolete form of point.
   • 1612, Michael Drayton, Poly-Olbion, song 11 p. 175:

     Which over Severne heere they in the Mountaines shut,
     And some upon that poynt of Cornwall forth they put.

Verb

poynt (third-person singular simple present poynts, present participle poynting, simple past and past participle poynted)

1. Obsolete form of point.

Anagrams

• Ponty, ponty

Middle English

Alternative forms

• poynte, point, pointe, poyinte, poinȝte, ponte, puinte, pynte, peynt

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French point, puint, pointe and Anglo-Norman puingte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pui̯nt/, /ˈpui̯nt(ə)/

Noun

poynt (plural poyntes or poyns)

1. small hole, puncture, prick
2. point, very small dot
3. dot serving as a punctuation mark, point, period
4. (geometry) point (zero-dimensional mathematical object)
5. smallest quantity of something, jot, whit
6. small division of a scale, especially as a unit of measurement, degree
7. tiny amount of time, instant, moment
8. particular moment, point in time
9. decisive moment; moment of action, decision, or opportunity
10. spot, location, point in space
11. centerpoint or point of revolution, midpoint, pole
12. topic of discussion, issue, point
13. focus of conversation or consideration; main idea, point, central theme
14. principle, proposition, statement to be followed
15. proposal, idea, plan of action
    • 14^th Century, Chaucer, General Prologue

      This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn: / That ech of yow, to shorte with oure weye, / In this viage shal telle tales tweye […]

      This is the idea, to speak briefly and clearly: / That each of you, to make our way feel short, / Shall tell two tales on this journey […]

16. purpose, objective, goal, intention
17. reason, cause
18. individual element in a larger whole, such as a rule in a code of rules, an item in a list, or a verse of the Bible; detail, article, particular, item
19. instance, example of a general principle
20. accusation, charge
21. stage, phase, as of the moon
22. condition, state, often specifically a good condition
23. personal characteristic, quality, often specifically a good quality, virtue
24. activity, individual action or event
25. individual skill or technique in some art
26. point, sharp tip of an object
27. sharp edge of a blade
28. pointed weapon, weapon with a sharp tip
29. (by extension, often plural) armed encounter, combat
30. other pointed tool, such as a nail or writing stylus
31. any projecting extremity of an object
32. headland, peninsula, promontory
33. vanguard, front line of an army in formation
34. front point of a horse’s hoof
35. apex, climax, height
36. string or lace used to tie together certain garments, particularly armor
37. (medicine) stitch used in sewing together a wound
38. (chess) square of a chessboard
39. (backgammon) any of the twelve triangular positions in either table of a backgammon board, on which the stones are played
40. musical note or phrase, fragment of a tune
41. (heraldry) point

Derived terms

• in poynt to

Descendants

• English: point
• Yola: pint, peint

References

• “pointe, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.