Pointing

How to spell pointing

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce pointing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pointing mean?

1. verbDirecting attention towards something by extending a finger, object, or indicator.
2. nounThe mortar finishing of the joints between bricks or stones, or the work of applying it.

Pointing in a sentence

• verb

  She kept pointing at the map to show the quickest route.

• noun

  The surveyor noted that the pointing on the old wall needed repair.

• verb

  The broken signpost was pointing in the wrong direction.

• noun

  Crumbling pointing was letting rainwater into the brickwork.

Where does pointing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the -ing form of the verb 'point', which English took from Old French in the 1200s. The French 'point' and 'pointe' both descend from the Latin 'punctum', meaning a tiny hole or a dot made by pricking, which itself came from the verb 'pungere', 'to prick or pierce'. The idea of a sharp tip that marks a single spot is why we 'point' a finger at something and why a needle has a 'point'. The same Latin root gives us 'puncture', 'punctual', and 'punctuation', all sharing the notion of a small piercing mark. In building work, 'pointing' developed a specialised sense for the neat finishing of mortar joints, because the work was done with a fine, pointed tool. The spelling stays regular: the base 'point' simply takes '-ing' with no doubling or dropping.

How the word is built

• point (from Latin punctum: a pricked dot or mark)
• -ing (verb/noun suffix)