ETYM French, from Latin articulus, dim. of artus joint.
1. (Grammar) A determiner that may indicate the specificity of reference of a noun phrase.
2. A separate section of a legal document (as a statute or contract or will); SYN. clause.
3. Nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication.
4. One of a class of artifacts.
1. A small spot; speck
2. A small round mark: as a (1); a small point made with a pointed instrument (2); a small round mark used in orthography or punctuation; a centered point used as a multiplication sign (as in 6 y 5 = 30) c (1); a point after a note or rest in music indicating augmentation of the time value by one half (2); a point over or under a note indicating that it is to be played staccato
3. A precise point especially in time
4. The shorter of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code; SYN. dit.
Or period; Punctuation mark (.). It has two functions: to mark the end of a sentence and to indicate that a word has been abbreviated. It is also used in mathematics to indicate decimals and is then called a point.
ETYM Latin periodus, Greek, a going round, a way round, a circumference, a period of time; peri round, about + hodos a way: cf. French période.
1. A stage in the history of a culture having a definable place in space and time; SYN. historic period, historical period.
2. A time of life characterized as a distinct phase.
3. A unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed; SYN. geological period.
4. One of (usually) three or four sections of play in various sports.
5. The end or completion of something.
6. The interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon.
1. A disease of poultry.
2. A minor nonspecific ailment.
3. An individual rootstock of the lily of the valley
4. A diamond-shaped insignia of rank worn by a second lieutenant, lieutenant, or captain in the British army
5. A small fruit seed; especially; one of a several-seeded fleshy fruit
6. One extraordinary of its kind
Short for picture (pix) element. One spot in a rectilinear grid of thousands of such spots that are individually “painted” to form an image produced on the screen by a computer or on paper by a printer. A pixel is the smallest element that display or print hardware and software can manipulate in creating letters, numbers, or graphics. See the illustration. Also called: pel.
(derived from picture element) Single dot on a computer screen. All screen images are made up of a collection of pixels, with each pixel being either off (dark) or on (illuminated, possibly in color). The number of pixels available determines the screen's resolution. Typical resolutions of microcomputer screens vary from 320 x 200 pixels to 640 x 480 pixels, but screens with 1,024 x 768 pixels are now quite common for high-quality graphic (pictorial) displays.
The number of bits (binary digits) used to represent each pixel determines how many colors it can display: a two-bit pixel can have four colors; an eight-bit (one-byte) pixel can have 256 colors. The higher the resolution of a screen and the more colors it is capable of displaying, the more memory will be needed in order to store that screen's contents.
(Computer science) The smallest discrete element of an image or picture on a CRT screen (usually a single-colored dot); SYN. pel, picture element.
Picture element. Definable locations on a display screen that are used to form images on the screen. For graphic displays, screens with more pixels provide higher resolution.
any of number of minute units making up a picture on e.g. a computer screen.
ETYM French point, and probably also pointe, Latin punctum, puncta, from pungere, punctum, to prick. Related to Pungent, Puncto, Puncture.
1. (British) A wall socket; SYN. power point.
2. A V shape; SYN. tip, peak.
3. A V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer; SYN. head.
4. A brief version of the essential meaning of something.
5. A distinguishing or individuating characteristic.
6. A geometric element that has position but no extension.
7. A linear unit used to measure the size of type; approximately 1/72 inch.
8. A promontory extending out into a large body of water.
9. A style in speech or writing that arrests attention and has a penetrating or convincing quality or effect.
10. A very short period of time; SYN. point in time.
11. A very small circular shape; SYN. dot.
12. An outstanding characteristic; SYN. spot.
13. Sharp end.
14. The muzzle's direction; SYN. gunpoint.
15. The object of an activity.
16. The precise location of something; a spatially limited location.
17. The property of a shape that tapers to a sharp point; SYN. pointedness.
18. The unit of counting in scoring a game or contest.
ETYM Cf. Scot. and Dutch spat, Dan. spette, Swed. spott spittle, slaver; from the root of Eng. spit. Related to Spit to eject from the mouth, and cf. Spatter.
The diameter of the area on the target where the temperature determination is made. The spot is defined by the circular aperture at the target which allows typically 90% of the ir energy from the target to be collected by the instrument. See also Size-of-Source Effect.
1. A small contrasting part of something; SYN. speckle, dapple, patch, fleck, maculation.
2. A section of an entertainment that is assigned to a specific performer or performance.
3. A short section or illustration (as between radio or tv programs or in a magazine) that is often used for advertising.
4. A playing card with a specified number of pips on it to indicate its value.
5. A place for entertainment.
6. A mark on a playing card (shape depending on the suit); SYN. pip.
7. (British) A small quantity; SYN. bit.
1. The act of stopping something; SYN. stoppage.
2. The event of something ending; SYN. halt.
3. A spot where something halts or pauses
4. A brief stay in the course of a journey; SYN. stopover, layover.