pointer

point·er

a person or thing that points
a long, tapered rod used by teachers and lecturers for pointing to things on a map, blackboard, etc.
an indicator on a clock, meter, scales, etc.
any of a breed of large, muscular hunting dog with a short, smooth coat, usually white with liver, black, or yellowish spots, and characterized by its assumption of the classic stance in pointing game
Informal a helpful hint or suggestion

pointer Idioms

the Pointers

Astron. the two stars in the Big Dipper that are almost in a direct line with the North Star, Polaris

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pointer

noun

One that directs, indicates, or points, especially:
a. A long tapered stick or a laser beacon used to call attention to objects, as on a chart or blackboard.
b. A scale indicator on a watch, balance, or other measuring instrument.
a. A dog of a breed developed in Europe to point game, having a smooth, short-haired coat that is often white with black or brownish markings.
b. A dog of any of various similar breeds.
a. A piece of advice; a suggestion: Let me give you a few pointers on your golf swing.
b. A piece of indicative information: interest rates and other pointers in the economic forecast.
Computers A variable that holds the address of a core storage location.
Computers 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.
Either of the two stars in the Big Dipper, Dubhe and Merak, that are aligned so that a line drawn between them extends north to Polaris, the north star.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Noun

(plural pointers)

Anything that points or is used for pointing.
A needle-like component of a timepiece or measuring device that indicates the time or the current reading of the device.
A breed of hunting dog.
(programming) A variable that holds the address of a memory location where a value can be stored.
(computing) An icon that indicates the position of the mouse; a cursor.
A tip, a bit of advice (usually plural.)
The instructor gave me some pointers on writing a good paper.
(in combinations) Something worth a given number of points.
a ten-pointer

Anagrams

interop, protein, pterion, repoint, tropein, tropine

Origin

point +"Ž -er.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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pointer - Computer Definition

An identifier that indicates the position of an item of data within a frame. In a SONET frame, for example, a pointer indicates the position of a Virtual Tributary (VT) within a Virtual Tributary Group (VTG).The pointer also serves a synchronization function. See also data, frame, SDH, SONET, synchronize, VT, and VTG.

Webster's New World Telecom Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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(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.

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