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Pointed

Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock.

Pointer

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

Pointillism Neoimpressionism

A theory or practice which is a further development, on more rigorously scientific lines, of the theory and practice of Impressionism, originated by George Seurat (1859-91), and carried on by Paul Signac (1863- -) and others. Its method is marked by the laying of pure primary colors in minute dots upon a white ground, any given line being produced by a variation in the proportionate quantity of the primary colors employed. This method is also known as Pointillism (stippling).

Pointless

Having no point; blunt; wanting keenness; obtuse; as, a pointless sword; a pointless remark.

Pointleted

Having a small, distinct point; apiculate.

Pointsman

A man who has charge of railroad points or switches.

Poise

To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt.

Poiser

The balancer of dipterous insects.

Poison

To act as, or convey, a poison.

Poisonous

Having the qualities or effects of poison; venomous; baneful; corrupting; noxious.

Poitrel

The breastplate of the armor of a horse. See Peytrel.

Pokal

A tall drinking cup.

Poke

The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs.

Pokebag

The European long-tailed titmouse; -- called also poke-pudding.

Poker

Any imagined frightful object, especially one supposed to haunt the darkness; a bugbear.

Poking-stick

A small stick or rod of steel, formerly used in adjusting the plaits of ruffs.

Poky

Confined; cramped.

Polacca

A vessel with two or three masts, used in the Mediterranean. The masts are usually of one piece, and without tops, caps, or crosstrees.

Polander

A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Pole.

Polar

The right line drawn through the two points of contact of the two tangents drawn from a given point to a given conic section. The given point is called the pole of the line. If the given point lies within the curve so that the two tangents become imaginary, there is still a real polar line which does not meet the curve, but which possesses other properties of the polar. Thus the focus and directrix are pole and polar. There are also poles and polar curves to curves of higher degree than the second, and poles and polar planes to surfaces of the second degree.

Polarily

In a polary manner; with polarity.

Polarimeter

An instrument for determining the amount of polarization of light, or the proportion of polarized light, in a partially polarized ray.

Polarimetry

The art or process of measuring the polarization of light.

Polaris

The polestar. See North star, under North.

Polariscope

An instrument consisting essentially of a polarizer and an analyzer, used for polarizing light, and analyzing its properties.

Polariscopic

Of or pertaining to the polariscope; obtained by the use of a polariscope; as, polariscopic observations.

Polariscopy

The art or rocess of making observations with the polariscope.

Polaristic

Pertaining to, or exhibiting, poles; having a polar arrangement or disposition; arising from, or dependent upon, the possession of poles or polar characteristics; as, polaristic antagonism.

Polarity

That quality or condition of a body in virtue of which it exhibits opposite, or contrasted, properties or powers, in opposite, or contrasted, parts or directions; or a condition giving rise to a contrast of properties corresponding to a contrast of positions, as, for example, attraction and repulsion in the opposite parts of a magnet, the dissimilar phenomena corresponding to the different sides of a polarized ray of light, etc.

Polarizer

That which polarizes; especially, the part of a polariscope which receives and polarizes the light. It is usually a reflecting plate, or a plate of some crystal, as tourmaline, or a doubly refracting crystal.

Polary

Tending to a pole; having a direction toward a pole.

Polatouche

A flying squirrel (Sciuropterus volans) native of Northern Europe and Siberia; -- called also minene.

Polder

A tract of low land reclaimed from the sea by of high embankments.

Poldway

A kind of coarse bagging, -- used for coal sacks.

Pole

Either extremity of an axis of a sphere; especially, one of the extremities of the earth's axis; as, the north pole.

poleax poleaxe

To fell with or as if with a poleax; -- often used figuratively; as, the entire department was poleaxed after the takeover.

Poleaxe Poleax

Anciently, a kind of battle-ax with a long handle; later, an ax or hatchet with a short handle, and a head variously patterned; -- used by soldiers, and also by sailors in boarding a vessel.

Polecat

A small European carnivore of the Weasel family (Putorius f/tidus). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also fitchet, foulmart, and European ferret. The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species.

Poledavy

A sort of coarse canvas; poldway.

Poleless

Without a pole; as, a poleless chariot.

Polemarch

In Athens, originally, the military commanderin-chief; but, afterward, a civil magistrate who had jurisdiction in respect of strangers and sojourners. In other Grecian cities, a high military and civil officer.

Polemic

One who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant.

Polemical

Polemic; controversial; disputatious.

Polemics

The art or practice of disputation or controversy, especially on religious subjects; that branch of theological science which pertains to the history or conduct of ecclesiastical controversy.

Polemoniaceous

Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Polemoniace/), which includes Polemonium, Phlox, Gilia, and a few other genera.

Polemonium

A genus of gamopetalous perennial herbs, including the Jacob's ladder and the Greek valerian.

Polemoscope

An opera glass or field glass with an oblique mirror arranged for seeing objects that do not lie directly before the eye; -- called also diagonal opera glass, or side opera glass.

Polemy

Warfare; war; hence, contention; opposition.

Polenta

Pudding made of Indian meal; also, porridge made of chestnut meal.

Poler

An extortioner. See Poller.

Polestar

Polaris, or the north star. See North star, under North.

Polewig

The European spotted goby (Gobius minutus); -- called also pollybait.

Poley

Without horns; polled.

Polianite

Manganese dioxide, occurring in tetragonal crystals nearly as hard as quartz.

Police

To keep in order by police.

Policed

Regulated by laws for the maintenance of peace and order, enforced by organized administration.

Policeman

A member of a body of police; a constable.

Policy

A ticket or warrant for money in the public funds.

Poling

The act of supporting or of propelling by means of a pole or poles; as, the poling of beans; the poling of a boat.

Polish

A smooth, glossy surface, usually produced by friction; a gloss or luster.

Polished

Made smooth and glossy, as by friction; hence, highly finished; refined; polite; as, polished plate; polished manners; polished verse.

Polisher

One who, or that which, polishes; also, that which is used in polishing.

Polishment

The act of polishing, or the state of being polished.

Polissoir

A polishing or grinding implement or instrument.

Polite

To polish; to refine; to render polite.

Politely

In a polished manner; so as to be smooth or glossy.

Politeness

High finish; smoothness; burnished elegance.

Political

Having, or conforming to, a settled system of administration.

Politician

Cunning; using artifice; politic; artful.

Politicly

In a politic manner; sagaciously; shrewdly; artfully.

Politics

The science of government; that part of ethics which has to do with the regulation and government of a nation or state, the preservation of its safety, peace, and prosperity, the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals.

Politize

To play the politician; to dispute as politicians do.

Polity

The form or constitution of the civil government of a nation or state; the framework or organization by which the various departments of government are combined into a systematic whole.

Politzerization

The act of inflating the middle ear by blowing air up the nose during the act of swallowing; -- so called from Prof. Politzer of Vienna, who first practiced it.

Polka

A dance of Polish origin, but now common everywhere. It is performed by two persons in common time.

Poll

To vote at an election.

Pollack

A marine gadoid food fish of Europe (Pollachius virens). Called also greenfish, greenling, lait, leet, lob, lythe, and whiting pollack. The American pollock; the coalfish.

Pollage

A head or poll tax; hence, extortion.

Pollan

A lake whitefish (Coregonus pollan), native of Ireland. In appearance it resembles a herring.

Pollard

To lop the tops of, as trees; to poll; as, to pollard willows.

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