Finger vs Point - What's the difference?

finger | point |

As a proper noun finger

is .

As a noun point is

a discrete division of something.

As a verb point is

to extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.

finger

English

Noun

(en noun)

(label) One of the long extremities of the hand, sometimes excluding the thumb.

* 1915 , (Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson), ,

We have five senses and five fingers' and five toes. The starfish eats with five ' fingers .

* 1916 , The Finger Talk of Chicago's Wheat-Pit'', '':

Each finger' extended represents one-eighth of a cent. Thus when all four ' fingers and the thumb are extended, all being spread out from one another, it means five-eighths.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2014-03-29, volume=410, issue=8880, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= Don’t cramp my style , passage=In 1993 [Victor Candia] noticed that the fingers of his left hand were starting to curl up as he played [on his guitar]. It felt to him as if a magnet in his palm were preventing him from opening them. A week later, he could not play at all.}}
A piece of food resembling such an extremity.

Anything that does work of a finger, such as the pointer of a clock or watch, or a small projecting rod, wire, or piece in a mechanical device which is brought into contact with an object to effect, direct, or restrain a motion.

(also finger pier) A walkway extending from a dock, an airport terminal, etc, used by passengers to board a waiting ship or aeroplane.

An amount of liquid, usually alcohol, in a glass, with the depth of a finger's length.

The breadth of a finger, or the fourth part of the hand; a measure of nearly an inch; also, the length of finger, a measure in domestic use in the United States, of about four and a half inches or one eighth of a yard.

* Bishop (John Wilkins) (1614-1672)

a piece of steel three fingers thick

Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument.

* (1755-1838)

She has a good finger .

Derived terms

* at one's fingertips * burn one's fingers * butterfingers * cross one's fingers * fat-finger * finger alphabet * finger bowl * finger buffet * finger chip * finger dry * finger food * finger language * finger mark * finger millet * finger painting * finger pick * finger post * finger roll * finger wave * fingerboard * fingered * fingering * fingerling * fingermark * fingernail * finger-paint * fingerpicking * fingerplate * fingerpost * fingerprint * fingerspelling * fingerstall * fingertip * finger-wagging * fish finger * five-finger discount * five-finger exercise * forefinger * get one's finger out * get one's fingers onto * give the finger to * have a finger in every pie * have one's fingers in many pies * have one's fingers in the till * index finger * ladyfinger * lay a finger on * lift a finger * little finger * long finger * middle finger * one's fingers itch * point the finger at * pull one's finger on * put the finger on * putty in someone's fingers * ring finger * skirt finger * slip through one's fingers * snap one's fingers * split finger * sticky fingers * trigger finger * wag a finger (at) * work one's fingers to the bone * wrap around one's fingers * zinc finger

Verb

(en verb)
To identify or point out. Also put the finger on . To report to or identify for the authorities, rat on, rat out, squeal on, tattle on, turn in, to finger.

To poke or probe with a finger or fingers.

* Shakespeare

Let the papers lie; / You would be fingering them to anger me.

* 2009 , Win Blevins, Dreams Beneath Your Feet , page 135:

Feeling tender around the face, she fingered herself gingerly. Yes, it was swollen, very sore around the cheekbones, with dried blood on the outsides of her eye sockets, below her nostrils, and below one ear.

To use the fingers to penetrate and sexually stimulate one's own or another person's vagina or anus; to fingerbang

* 2007 , Madeline Bastinado, A Talent for Surrender , page 201:

She fingered him, spreading the gel and sliding the tip of her finger inside him.

* 2008 , Thomas Wainwright (editor), Erotic Tales , page 56:

She smiled, a look of amazement on her face, as if thinking that maybe this was the cock that she had been fantasizing about just now, as she fingered herself to a massive, body-engulfing orgasm.

(music) To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument.

(music) To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages.

(computing) To query (a user's status) using the (Finger protocol).

* 1996 , "Yves Bellefeuille", List of useful freeware'', comp.archives.msdos.d, ''Usenet :

PGP mail welcome (finger me for my key).

(obsolete) To steal; to purloin.

(Shakespeare)

To execute, as any delicate work.

Synonyms

* (sexual) fingerbang, fingerfuck

Anagrams

* 1000 English basic words ----

point
English
(wikipedia point)
Noun
(en noun)
A discrete division of something.

# An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality.

The Congress debated the finer points of the bill.

# A particular moment in an event or occurrence; a juncture.

There comes a point in a marathon when some people give up.

At this point in the meeting, I'd like to propose a new item for the agenda.

# (archaic) Condition, state.

She was not feeling in good point .

# A topic of discussion or debate; a proposition, a focus of conversation or consideration.

I made the point that we all had an interest to protect.

# (obsolete) The smallest quantity of something; a jot, a whit.

#* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , I.ii:

full large of limbe and euery ioint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point .

# (obsolete) A tiny amount of time; a moment.

#* Sir J. Davies

When time's first point begun / Made he all souls.

# A specific location or place, seen as a spatial position.

We should meet at a pre-arranged point .

# (mathematics, science) A zero-dimensional mathematical object representing a location in one or more dimensions; something considered to have position but no magnitude or direction.

# A purpose or objective.

Since the decision has already been made, I see little point in further discussion.

# A full stop or other terminal punctuation mark.

#* Alexander Pope

Commas and points they set exactly right.

# (music) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time. In ancient music, it distinguished or characterized certain tones or styles (points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.). In modern music, it is placed on the right of a note to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half.

# (by extension) A note; a tune.

#* Sir Walter Scott

Sound the trumpet — not a levant, or a flourish, but a point of war.

# A distinguishing quality or characteristic.

Logic isn't my strong point .

# Something tiny, as a pinprick; a very small mark.

The stars showed as tiny points of yellow light.

# (now only in phrases) A tenth; formerly also a twelfth.

Possession is nine points of the law.

# Each of the marks or strokes written above letters, especially in Semitic languages, to indicate vowels, stress etc.

# (gaming) A unit of scoring in a game or competition.

The one with the most points will win the game

# (mathematics) A decimal point (now especially when reading decimal fractions aloud).

10.5 ("ten point five"; = ten and a half)

# (economics) A unit used to express differences in prices of stocks and shares.

# (typography) a unit of measure equal to 1/12 of a pica, or approximately 1/72 of an inch (exactly 1/72 of an inch in the digital era).

# (UK) An electric power socket.

# (navigation, nautical) A unit of bearing equal to one thirty-second of a circle, i.e. 11.25°.

Ship ahoy, three points off the starboard bow!

A sharp extremity.

# The sharp tip of an object.

Cut the skin with the point of the knife.

# Any projecting extremity of an object.

# An object which has a sharp or tapering tip.

His cowboy belt was studded with points .

# (backgammon) Each of the twelve triangular positions in either table of a backgammon board, on which the stones are played.

# A peninsula or promontory.

# The position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force.

#* 2005 , Martin Torgoff, Can't Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945–2000 , Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-7432-3011-6, page 189:

Willie Jones decided to become Kimani Jones, Black Panther, on the day his best friend, Otis Nicholson, stepped on a mine while walking point during a sweep in the central highlands.

# Each of the main directions on a compass, usually considered to be 32 in number; a direction.

# (nautical) The difference between two points of the compass.

to fall off a point

# Pointedness of speech or writing; a penetrating or decisive quality of expression.

#* 1897 , (Henry James), (What Maisie Knew) :

There was moreover a hint of the duchess in the infinite point with which, as she felt, she exclaimed: "And this is what you call coming often ?"

#* , chapter=4
, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.}}
# (railroads, UK, in the plural) A railroad switch.

# (usually, in the plural) An area of contrasting colour on an animal, especially a dog; a marking.

The point color of that cat was a deep, rich sable.

# (cricket) A fielding position square of the wicket on the off side, between gully and cover.

# A tine or snag of an antler.

# (fencing) A movement executed with the sabre or foil.

tierce point

(heraldry) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon.

(nautical) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails.

(historical) A string or lace used to tie together certain garments.

(Sir Walter Scott)

Lace worked by the needle.

point''' de Venise; Brussels '''point

(US, slang, dated) An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer.

The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game.

The dog came to a point .

Synonyms
* (location or place) location, place, position, spot * (in geometry) ord * (particular moment in an event or occurrence) moment, ord, time * (sharp tip) end, ord, tip * (arithmetic symbol) decimal point * (opinion) opinion, point of view, view, viewpoint * (unit of measure of success or failure) mark (in a competition) * (color of extremities of an animal)
See also
* for the use of point with these verbs
Derived terms
* accidental point * accumulation point * ballpoint * basepoint * basis point * beside the point * boiling point * boundary point * branch point * break point * Brownie point * bullet point * cardinal point * case in point * cashpoint * closest point of approach * cloud point * coincidence point * commit point * compass point * consolute point * critical point * data point * decimal point * deep point * demerit point * dew point * Didot point * double point * dropping point * dry point, drypoint * endpoint * entry point * entry point for the eye * eutectic point * experience point * fixed point * fixed-point * flash point * floating-point * focal point * freezing point * game point * get the point * get to the point * gunpoint * hit points * hollow point * inflection point * in point of fact * isoelectric point * isolated point * knifepoint * (l) * limit point * make a point * match point * melting point * midpoint * moot point * needlepoint * nip point * one-point perspective * on point * on the point of * ordinary point * outpoint * percentage point * Pica point * pointable * point bar * point blank * point break * point cloud * point duty * pointed * point function * point group * point-in-line * pointless * point man * point mass * point mutation * point of articulation * point-of-care imaging * point of contact * point of fact * point of inevitability * point of inflection, point of inflexion * point of no return * point of order * point of pride * point of reference * point of sale * point of the compass * point of view * point set * point source * point taken * pointwise * pointy * power point * pressure point * reference point * seal point * set point * silly point * single point of failure * singular point * skill point * sore point * standpoint * starting point * stationary point * sticking point * stress point * take point * take someone's point * talking point * three-point line * three-point perspective * three-point turn * tipping point * to the point * trig point * triple point * transition point * turning point * two-point perspective * vanishing point * vantage point * waypoint * what’s the point? * zero point * zero-point energy
Related terms
* appoint * pointillism * punctilious * punctual * punctuate * punctuation
Descendants
* Japanese:
Verb
(en verb)
To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.

* Shakespeare

Now must the world point at poor Katharine.

* Dryden

Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe.

* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 23, author=Becky Ashton, work=BBC Sport
, title= QPR 1 - 0 Chelsea , passage=Luiz struggled with the movement of Helguson in the box, as he collected a long ball and the Spaniard barged him over, leaving referee Chris Foy little option but to point to the spot.}}

To draw attention to something or indicate a direction.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author= Ed Pilkington
, volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= ‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told , passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}

To direct toward an object; to aim.

to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort

To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end.

to point a dart, a pencil, or (figuratively) a moral

to indicate a probability of something

* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 21, author=Helen Pidd, work=the Guardian
, title= Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis , passage=Tens of thousands of Portuguese, Greek and Irish people have left their homelands this year, many heading for the southern hemisphere. Anecdotal evidence points to the same happening in Spain and Italy.}}
(ambitransitive, masonry) To repair mortar.

(masonry) To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

(stone-cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool.

To direct or encourage (someone) in a particular direction.

* Alexander Pope

Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them.

(mathematics) To separate an integer from a decimal with a decimal point.

To mark with diacritics.

(dated) To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate.

to point a composition

(computing) To direct the central processing unit to seek information at a certain location in memory.

(Internet) To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address corresponding to that domain name.

(nautical) To sail close to the wind.

(hunting) To indicate the presence of game by a fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do.

* John Gay

He treads with caution, and he points with fear.

(medicine, of an abscess) To approximate to the surface; to head.

(obsolete) To appoint.

(Spenser)

(dated) To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to point out.

* Charles Dickens

He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech.

(Alexander Pope)

Derived terms
* point at * pointer * point out * to have a point * point the finger * repoint
Statistics
*
External links
* *
Anagrams
* * * * 1000 English basic words ----