Pointy

How to spell pointy

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce pointy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pointy mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a sharp, tapering end or tip.

Pointy in a sentence

• The cat knocked over the pointy pencil on the desk.

• She chose a pair of pointy shoes for the interview.

Where does pointy come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is the everyday adjective form of 'point', which English took from Old French point and pointe in the 1200s. Those French words trace back to the Latin punctum, meaning 'a small hole made by pricking', which itself came from the verb pungere, 'to prick or pierce'. Over time 'point' broadened to mean any sharp end or tapering tip, and English speakers added the native adjective ending -y to describe something that has such a tip. The same pungere root quietly lives on in relatives like 'puncture', 'punctual', and 'pungent'. Because the word is built so plainly from 'point' plus -y, its spelling holds no real surprise: keep the silent rule in mind that the final letter is a simple -y, not -ey.

How the word is built

• point (a sharp tip, from Latin punctum)
• -y (adjective suffix meaning 'having the quality of')