pointer

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

point +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪntə(r)

Noun

pointer (plural pointers)

1. Anything that points or is used for pointing.
2. A needle-like component of a timepiece or measuring device that indicates the time or the current reading of the device.
3. A breed of hunting dog.
4. (programming) A variable that holds the address of a memory location where a value can be stored.
5. (computing) An icon that indicates the position of the mouse; a cursor.
6. A tip, a bit of advice (usually plural.)

   The instructor gave me some pointers on writing a good paper.

7. (in combinations) Something worth a given number of points.

   a ten-pointer

   • 2011 September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, BBC Sport:

     After another penalty miss, Kvirikashvili finally found the target on 27 minutes before Flood hit back with a three-pointer of his own.

Synonyms

• (of a timepiece): hand
• (of a measuring device): needle
• (icon): mouse pointer
• (programming) reference

See also

• (programming) dereference, address

Translations

anything that points or is used for pointing

Finnish: osoitin (fi) Kurdish: nîşanderk (ku) f. Polish: wskaźnik (pl) m.

Portuguese: ponteiro (pt) m. Russian: указатель (ru) (ukazát'el’) m., указка (ru) (ukázka) f.

of a timepiece or measuring device

Finnish: osoitin (fi), viisari (fi) (colloquial) French: aiguille (fr) f. German: Zeiger (de) m. Kurdish: nîşanderk (ku) f., mîl (ku) m.

Polish: wskazówka (pl) f. Portuguese: ponteiro (pt) m. Russian: стрелка (ru) (str'élka) m.

dog

Finnish: pointteri (fi) Ido: brako (io) Kurdish: poyinter (ku)

Russian: пойнтер (ru) (pójnter) m. Scottish Gaelic: cù-eunaich (gd) m.

computer programming: variable that stores the address of another variable

Catalan: apuntador (ca) m. Czech: ukazatel (cs) m. Dutch: pointer (nl) Finnish: osoitin (fi), pointteri (fi) (colloquial) German: Zeiger (de) m. Icelandic: bendir (is) m.

Italian: puntatore (it) m. Kurdish: nîşanderk (ku) f. Polish: wskaźnik (pl) m. Portuguese: ponteiro (pt) m. Russian: указатель (ru) (ukazát'el’) m. Spanish: apuntador (es) m., puntero (es) m.

computing: icon indicating mouse position — see mouse pointer

advice — see advice

Derived terms

• null pointer
• white pointer
• dangling pointer

See also

• Wikipedia article on the pointer, the dog
• Wikipedia article on pointers in computer programming

Anagrams

• interop, protein, pterion, repoint, tropein, tropine

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Dutch

Etymology

From English pointer.

Noun

pointer m. (plural pointers, diminutive pointertje)

1. (programming) pointer

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pwɛ̃.te/
• Homophones: pointai, pointé, pointée, pointées, pointés, pointez
• Rhymes: -te

Etymology 1

point +‎ -er, from an earlier poindre

Verb

pointer

1. to point to, to point at
2. (by extension) to indicate, to show
3. to point out
4. (reflexive) to show up, turn up

Conjugation

   Conjugation of pointer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		pointer			avoir pointé
gerund		en pointant			en ayant pointé
present participle		pointant
past participle		pointé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
simple tenses	present	pointe	pointes	pointe	pointons	pointez	pointent
	imperfect	pointais	pointais	pointait	pointions	pointiez	pointaient
	past historic1	pointai	pointas	pointa	pointâmes	pointâtes	pointèrent
	future	pointerai	pointeras	pointera	pointerons	pointerez	pointeront
	conditional	pointerais	pointerais	pointerait	pointerions	pointeriez	pointeraient
compound tenses	present perfect	Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	past anterior1	Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	future perfect	Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	conditional perfect	Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il	que nous	que vous	qu’ils
simple tenses	present	pointe	pointes	pointe	pointions	pointiez	pointent
	imperfect1	pointasse	pointasses	pointât	pointassions	pointassiez	pointassent
compound tenses	past	Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect1	Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
		—	pointe	—	pointons	pointez	—
1literary tenses

Derived terms

• pointage

Etymology 2

From English pointer

Noun

pointer m. (plural pointers)

1. pointer (dog)