pointer

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun One that directs, indicates, or points, especially.
• noun A long tapered stick or a laser beacon used to call attention to objects, as on a chart or blackboard.
• noun A scale indicator on a watch, balance, or other measuring instrument.
• noun A dog of a breed developed in Europe to point game, having a smooth, short-haired coat that is often white with black or brownish markings.
• noun A dog of any of various similar breeds.
• noun A piece of advice; a suggestion.
• noun A piece of indicative information.
• noun Computers A variable that holds the address of a core storage location.
• noun Computers A symbol appearing on a display screen in a GUI that lets the user select a command by clicking with a pointing device or pressing the enter key when the pointer symbol is positioned on the appropriate button or icon.
• noun Either of the two stars in the Big Dipper, Dubhe and Merak, that are aligned so that a line drawn between them extends north to Polaris, the north star.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun See the extract and silker.
• noun Same as gun-pointer.
• noun One of a pair of bullocks yoked ahead of the pole-bullocks. See the extract.
• noun In surveying, particularly hydrographic surveying, a plotting-instrument comprising a graduated circle with three projecting radial arms capable of being set at given angular distances apart: used for the purpose of determining on a map the unknown position of a point or station by the three-point problem.
• noun One who or that which points.
• noun plural With the definite article, the two stars of the constellation Ursa Major which guide the eye of the observer to the pole-star.
• noun A light pole with a black ball on the end of it, used at the masthead of a whaler when the boats are down.
• noun Nautical, one of the pieces of timber fixed fore-and-aft, and diagonally inside of a vessel's run or quarter, to connect the stern-frame with the after-body. See counter,4. Also called snake-piece.
• noun A pointed tool; especially, one used for cutting, graving, boring, and the like: a term common to many trades: as, a stone-cutters' pointer; a silversmiths' pointer.
• noun A tool used by bricklayers for clearing out the old mortar in pointing brickwork.
• noun The lever of a railroad-switch.
• noun In printing, the workman who adjusts sheets by means of the point-holes on a press.
• noun A hint; an indication; a point; an item of information which may be used with advantage: as, pointers in a race or a game.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun The hand of a timepiece.
• noun (Zoöl.) One of a breed of dogs trained to stop at scent of game, and with the nose point it out to sportsmen.
• noun (Astron.) The two stars (Merak and Dubhe) in the Great Bear, the line between which points nearly in the direction of the north star.
• noun (Naut.) Diagonal braces sometimes fixed across the hold.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Anything that points or is used for pointing.
• noun A needle-like component of a timepiece or measuring device that indicates the time or the current reading of the device.
• noun A breed of hunting dog.
• noun programming A variable that holds the address of a memory location where a value can be stored.
• noun computing An icon that indicates the position of the mouse; a cursor.
• noun A tip, a bit of advice (usually plural.)
• noun in combinations Something worth a given number of points.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun a strong slender smooth-haired dog of Spanish origin having a white coat with brown or black patches; scents out and points to game
• noun a mark to indicate a direction or relation
• noun (computer science) indicator consisting of a movable spot of light (an icon) on a visual display; moving it allows the user to point to commands or screen positions
• noun an indicator as on a dial