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Definition of pointer - 6 dictionary results
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point⋅er

  [poin-ter]
Use pointer in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person or thing that points.
2. a long, tapering stick used by teachers, lecturers, etc., in pointing things out on a map, blackboard, or the like.
3. the hand on a watch dial, clock face, scale, etc.
4. Military. the member of an artillery crew who aims the weapon.
5. one of a breed of short-haired hunting dogs trained to point game.
6. a piece of advice, esp. on how to succeed in a specific area: The food expert gave some good pointers on making better salads.
7. Computers. an identifier giving the location in storage of something of interest, as a data item, table, or subroutine.
8. Pointers, Astronomy. the two outer stars of the Big Dipper that lie on a line that passes very near Polaris and are used for finding it.
Origin:
1490–1500; point + -er 1

Synonyms:
6. tip, hint, suggestion, caution.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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point·er   (poin'tər)   
n.  
  1. One that directs, indicates, or points.
  2. A scale indicator on a watch, balance, or other measuring instrument.
  3. A long tapered stick for indicating objects, as on a chart or blackboard.
  4. Any of a breed of hunting dogs that points game, typically having a smooth, short-haired coat that is usually white with black or brownish spots.
    1. A piece of advice; a suggestion.
    2. A piece of indicative information: interest rates and other pointers in the economic forecast.
  6. Computer Science A variable that holds the address of a core storage location.
  7. Computer Science 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.
  8. Either of the two stars in the Big Dipper that are aligned so as to point to Polaris.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Pointer

Point"er\, n. One who, or that which, points. Specifically: (a) The hand of a timepiece. (b) (Zo["o]l.) 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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : pointer
Spanish: puntero,
German: der Zeigestock,
Japanese: 指示棒
More Translations »

pointer 
"dog that stands rigid in the presence of game, facing the quarry," 1717, from point (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: pointer
—see HIP POINTER
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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pointer
1. An address, from the point of view of a programming language. A pointer may be typed, with its type indicating the type of data to which it points.
The terms "pointer" and "reference" are generally interchangable although particular programming languages often differentiate these two in subtle ways. For example, Perl always calls them references, never pointers. Conversely, in C, "pointer" is used, although "a reference" is often used to denote the concept that a pointer implements.
Anthony Hoare once said:
Pointers are like jumps, leading wildly from one part of the data structure to another. Their introduction into high-level languages has been a step backward from which we may never recover.
[C.A.R.Hoare "Hints on Programming Language Design", 1973, Prentice-Hall collection of essays and papers by Tony Hoare].
2. (Or "mouse pointer") An icon, usually a small arrow, that moves on the screen in response to movement of a pointing device, typically a mouse. The pointer shows the user which object on the screen will be selected etc. when a mouse button is clicked.
(1999-07-07)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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