pointer

pointer

1. an indicator on a measuring instrument

2. a long rod or cane used by a lecturer to point to parts of a map, blackboard, etc.

3. one of a breed of large swift smooth-coated dogs, usually white with black, liver, or lemon markings: when on shooting expeditions it points to the bird with its nose, body, and tail in a straight line

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pointer

[′pȯint·ər]

(computer science)

The part of an instruction which contains the address of the next record to be accessed.

(engineering)

The needle-shaped rod that moves over the scale of a meter.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

pointer

(programming)

An address, from the point of view of a programming language. A pointer may be typed, with its type indicating the type of data to which it points.

The terms "pointer" and "reference" are generally interchangable although particular programming languages often differentiate these two in subtle ways. For example, Perl always calls them references, never pointers. Conversely, in C, "pointer" is used, although "a reference" is often used to denote the concept that a pointer implements.

Anthony Hoare once said:

Pointers are like jumps, leading wildly from one part of the data structure to another. Their introduction into high-level languages has been a step backward from which we may never recover.

[C.A.R.Hoare "Hints on Programming Language Design", 1973, Prentice-Hall collection of essays and papers by Tony Hoare].

pointer

(operating system)

(Or "mouse pointer") An icon, usually a small arrow, that moves on the screen in response to movement of a pointing device, typically a mouse. The pointer shows the user which object on the screen will be selected etc. when a mouse button is clicked.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

pointer

(1) In database management, an address embedded within the data that specifies the location of data in another record or file.

(2) In programming, a variable that holds the address of another variable or the address of the beginning of an array of variables. When a pointer to an array is used, it is made to point to any element in the array by incrementing or decrementing its contents (incrementing or decrementing the address). See subscript.

(3) A symbol used to point to some element on screen. See cursor.

(4) See symbolic link and redirection.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Pointer

 

a breed of short-haired hunting dog, developed in England by crossing a Spanish Pointer with an English Foxhound. Pointers were introduced into Russia in the 1860’s. The dogs stand up to 63–65 cm high and have a retangular muzzle, drooping ears, and a whiplike tail. The coat may be black, pale yellow, brown (sometimes with white spots), or white with black, yellow, or brown spots and speckles. Pointers have a keen sense of smell and are able to point for a long time in front of their quarry. The dogs are used for hunting swamp, steppe, and forest birds.

REFERENCE

Posobie po sobakovodstvu, 2nd ed. Leningrad, 1973.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.