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Section vs Point - What's the difference?

section | point |

As nouns the difference between section and point

is that section is a cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something while point is a discrete division of something.

As verbs the difference between section and point

is that section is to cut, divide or separate into pieces while 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.

section

Noun

(en noun)
  • A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
  • A part, piece, subdivision of anything.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
  • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […]  But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.}}
  • A part of a document.
  • An act or instance of cutting.
  • A cross-section (image that shows an object as if cut along a plane).
  • # (aviation) A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight.
  • (surgery) An incision or the act of making an incision.
  • (sciences) A thin slice of material prepared as a specimen for research.
  • (senseid) A taxonomic rank below the genus (and subgenus if present), but above the species.
  • An informal taxonomic rank below the order ranks and above the family ranks.
  • (military) A group of 10-15 soldiers lead by a non-commissioned officer and forming part of a platoon.
  • (category theory) A right inverse.
  • (NZ) A piece of residential land usually a quarter of an acre in size; a plot.
  • (label) A one-mile square area of land, defined by a government survey.
  • Synonyms

    * (sense) sectio * cutting, slice, snippet * division, part, slice, piece * volume

    Antonyms

    * whole

    Coordinate terms

    * (aviation) waterline, buttock line

    Derived terms

    * cross section * dissection * bisection * quarter section * section road * section grid

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cut, divide or separate into pieces.
  • (British) To commit (a person, to a hospital, with or without their consent), as for mental health reasons.
  • * 1998 , Diana Gittins, Madness in its Place: Narratives of Severalls Hospital, 1913-1997 , Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-18388-8, page 45:
  • Tribunals were set up as watchdogs in cases of compulsory detention (sectioning'). Informal patients, however, could be ' sectioned , and this was often a fear of patients once they were in hospital.
  • * Lucy Johnstone, Users and Abusers of Psychiatry: A Critical Look at Psychiatric Practice , Second Edition, Routledge (2000), ISBN 978-0-415-21155-0, page xiv:
  • The doctor then sectioned her, making her an involuntary patient, and had her moved to a secure ward.
  • * 2006 , Mairi Colme, A Divine Dance of Madness , Chipmunkapublishing, ISBN 978-1-84747-023-2, page 5:
  • After explaining that for 7 years, from ’88 to ’95, I was permanently sectioned under the Mental Health act, robbed of my freedom, my integrity, my rights, I wrote at the time;- ¶

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    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

    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

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    Anagrams

    * * * * 1000 English basic words ----