| point of elbow | <anatomy> The large process at the proximal end of the ulna which projects behind the articulation with the humerus and forms the bony prominence of the elbow. Origin: NL, fr.Gr.; elbow + the head. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| point of fixation | The point on the retina at which the rays coming from an object regarded directly are focused. Synonym: point of regard. (05 Mar 2000) |
| point of maximal impulse | The point on the chest wall at which the maximal cardiac impulse is seen and/or felt. (05 Mar 2000) |
| point of ossification | The site of earliest bone formation via accumulation of osteoblasts within connective tissue (membranous ossification) or of earliest destruction of cartilage prior to onset of ossification (endochondral ossification). Synonym: punctum ossificationis, ossific centre, point of ossification. (05 Mar 2000) |
| point of proximal contact | That part of the proximal surface of a tooth which touches the adjacent tooth mesially or distally. Synonym: contact point, point of proximal contact. (05 Mar 2000) |
| point of regard | The point on the retina at which the rays coming from an object regarded directly are focused. Synonym: point of regard. (05 Mar 2000) |
| point projection | <microscopy> A method of producing enlarged images by means of X rays. The specimen is placed close to a point source of X rays and the magnification achieved is the ratio of source-image to source-object distance. Resolution depends primarily on the diameter of the source. (05 Aug 1998) |
| point source | In photometry, a very small source of light which is regarded as a geometrical point from which light emanates in straight lines in all directions. (05 Mar 2000) |
| point system test types | A near-vision test chart in which the various test types are multiples of a point (1/72 inch), lower-case letters being one-half the designated point size; reading 4-point at 16 inches is normal, and is designated N-4. (05 Mar 2000) |
| point tenderness | <clinical sign> A finding on physical examination that can indicate a localised inflammatory process due to injury or disease. Point tenderness will be discovered over fracture sites (in bone injury). (27 Sep 1997) |
| point-of-care systems | Laboratory and other services provided to patients at the bedside. These include diagnostic and laboratory testing using automated information entry systems. (12 Dec 1998) |
| point-spread function | <microscopy> The mathematical representation of the image of a point source. For a diffraction-limited optical system operating in the absence of aberrations, the point-spread function is the Airy disk. See: three-dimensional diffraction pattern. (05 Aug 1998) |
| pointal | 1. <botany> The pistil of a plant. 2. A kind of pencil or style used with the tablets of the Middle Ages. "A pair of tablets [i. E, tablets] . . . And a pointel." 3. See Poyntel. Origin: From Point: cf. F. Pointal an upright wooden prop, OF. Pointille a prick or prickle. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pointed | 1. Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock. 2. Characterised by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing. "His moral pleases, not his pointed wit." (Pope) Pointed arch, a name given to that style of architecture in which the pointed arch is the predominant feature; more commonly called Gothic. Point"edly, Point"edness. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pointed condyloma | An obsolete term for condyloma acuminatum. (05 Mar 2000) |