| pointing |
| Definition:
To insert punctuation marks in a sentence. Note: What we now call punctuating was formerly called pointing. |
| Example: The period at the end of this sentence is an example of pointing. |
| Etymology: The word ultimately derives from the Latin pungere, to prick or pierce. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation is from circa 1400: "A reder that poyntith ille, A good sentence may ofte spille." (Rom. Rose 2161) |