underpoint — English Dictionary

underpoint

Noun

  1. A downward facing point on the underside.

    Examples
    More examples (3)

    An object appears to present a difficulty to a flame that cannot surround it, or approach the so doing. This a mere upper-surface ignited affords little prospect of doing, an undersurface much more, an under edge still more, and an underpoint (never mind Euclid's definitions) again still more, being capable of being nearly surrounded by the smallest flame.

    Every workman who filed the teeth had the model of a perfect tooth with him and was told to file the tooth to the shape of the underpoint of a man's little finger.

    Then he straightens up his right arm, which he swings quickly as a pivot to speed a left hand punch which travels from below the outside of his slightly bended left knee to the underpoint of the opponent's chin.

  2. The lowest intensity point of a diminuendo that is followed by an increase in volume and intensity.

    Examples
    More examples (3)

    In larger dimensions, recurrent formulas, articulation, and phrase structure become important, and it may be possible to abstract various general curve types by studying the location of peaks and underpoints.

    Since his dynamic changes follow the development of the intensity of the music, they often indicate the direction of emotional movement to the climax or underpoints.

    In skillful fugues the heightening tension of contrapuntal development finds confirmation in peaks and underpoints, dissonance quotient, and expansion or compression of tessitura, as well as other less direct sources of stress such as the largely intellectual pleasure of increasingly sophisticated and arcane manipulations.

  3. The number of scored points below a specified criterion.

    Examples
    More examples (1)

    If either player overcounts or undercounts his hand (or crib or play), after he has finished pegging the wrong number, not before, the opponent may say, "Muggins," show him the error, have him peg correctly, and then add to his own score the number of overpoints or underpoints.

  4. Something that calls attention to or emphasizes a particular conclusion within a topic of discussion.

    Examples

    I appreciate the comments by the distinguished Senator from Idaho. Mr. President, just a couple of more underpoints.

    With your permission, Mr. Chairman, he has brought some of his kids here, and they may sort of provide an underpoint, if I could ask them to stand up.

Adjective

  1. Below the point (any sense)

    Usage
    • not-comparable
    Examples
    More examples (1)

    The wheat farmer, the corn farmer, the livestock farmer, all are receiving high prices for their produce. Until October 1917, the dairyman was distinctly underpoint.

    The Johnstone Fourteen is similar to the Twelve except that boards up to Bearings of sealed slitters and underpoint springs of the tool steel slitter lever.

    The plow bottom is led into the ground and held to its work by the underpoint suction of the share.

Verb

  1. To add a dot beneath a letter as a proofreading or diacritical mark.

    Examples

    Curiously, he does not underpoint letters to indicate deletion or insert letters above the line; he simply tries again.

    More examples (2)

    One might disagree with the emendation, but that is beside the point: it would be inapposite to retain oftost and simply underpoint the first t, since the change presumably introduced by the scribe is not a mere alteration of form but a misapprehension, and this should be signalled by emendation and the use of italics.

    Klaeber's practice varies: he underpoints the inflectional vowel in bonan OngenÞēoẹs 1968ᵃ, but in oððe him OngenÞeowes 2475ᵃ he leaves off the macron and, evidently, assumes resolution.

  2. To emphasize or call attention to a point within a discussion.

    Examples
    More examples (2)

    I would like to underpoint that. Your statement is that your local in the heavy construction as contrasted to the other construction, is not on strike against anybody?

    I see a man who struggles for identity”: these lines underpoint the theme of this long poem which might be more effective without the “bondage of Rhyming”—to quote William Blake.

    This again underpoints the vulnerability of climacteric women.

  3. To point the underside.

    Examples

    When the plates are firmly secured to the walls with the proper wall anchors all the interstices between the wedges should be underpointed with mortar.

    More examples (1)

    The most suitable material has proved to be the seconds or thirds types of Welsh slate laid on stout battens and well underpointed in haired mortar, gauged with cement.

    Pantiles made from Bridgwater Clay must not be torched or underpointed, but the roof should be boarded and felted, battened and counterbattened.

  4. To include too few points.

    Examples
    More examples (1)

    This gives us a good idea of how much water is down there and how many well-points we need to dewater the area,” Huber explains. “On our projects. we always try to overpoint rather than underpoint.

  5. To indicate or focus on a position closer than the one that is intended.

    Examples

    If the patient then attempts to fix with the good eye, it will underpoint.

Word forms
underpointsunderpointsunderpointingunderpointedunderpointed

Code Formatters

Format and beautify Java, Python, JavaScript, JSON, HTML and more; adjust indentation, spacing and line breaks.

More tools

Audio Editing & Effects

Trim, join or split recordings, remove silence or noise, and adjust volume, speed, pitch or channels.

More tools

Spreadsheet Tools

Open and edit CSV or Excel sheets, format tabular text, and convert CSV to Excel or SQL.

More tools

Markdown Tools

Write and preview Markdown, render Mermaid diagrams, and convert Markdown, HTML and tables between formats.

More tools

Text Tools

Compare passages, count words and keywords, sort or replace lines, and view DOCX text.

More tools

Dictionaries

Look up Chinese meanings, synonyms and antonyms, or find IPA pronunciations in multiple languages.

Audio Conversion & Playback

Convert between MP3, WAV, FLAC and more, play audio or raw PCM, and inspect or edit audio metadata.

JSON & Data Tools

Inspect, compare and validate JSON; test JSONPath expressions, or convert data to CSV, YAML and XML.

More tools

Speech Tools

Transcribe audio to text, generate speech from text, or record your voice in the browser.

Video Tools

Convert and compress video, trim or join clips, resize frames, and extract audio.

More tools

Video Playback & Recording

Play local or streaming video, record your screen or camera, and use your camera as an online mirror.

PDF Tools

Compress or merge PDFs, split and rearrange pages, convert pages to images, and view or compare documents.

More tools

Image Tools

Convert image formats, resize or crop photos, compress files, compare pictures, and extract text with OCR.

More tools

Image Creation

Capture and beautify screenshots, turn text into images or GIFs, draw on a whiteboard, and create word clouds or favicons.

More tools

Subtitle Tools

Edit SRT or VTT captions with a video preview, shift timing, convert formats, and manage subtitle tracks.

More tools

Archive Tools

Open ZIP, 7Z, RAR or TAR files, extract selected contents, and create new archives with optional ZIP/7Z passwords.

Encoders | Decoders

Encode and decode Base64 or Base32, escape URLs, HTML and Unicode text, and inspect JWT contents.

More tools

Number Tools

Convert number bases and values between binary, decimal and hex; turn numbers into words or text into binary.

Calculators

Work out percentages and fractions, summarize statistics, and calculate grades, discounts or aspect ratios.

More tools

Time Tools

Show an online clock, run a countdown or stopwatch, and calculate dates, ages or time-zone differences.

More tools

Network Tools

Check your IP and IPv6 connection, inspect HTTP requests or HAR files, and calculate CIDR address ranges.

Unit Conversions

Convert length, weight, temperature, data storage and other units.

Color Tools

Convert HEX, RGB and HSL values, extract colors from an image, check contrast, or test your display with solid colors.

QR Codes & Barcodes

Generate and scan QR codes or barcodes, including QR codes for links and Wi-Fi networks.

Developer & Security Tools

Generate hashes, UUIDs and passwords, test regular expressions, create URL slugs and check file permissions.

More tools

Utility Tools

Check screen resolution and refresh rate, measure with a screen ruler, test keys, or read from a teleprompter.

More tools

Games

2048, Minesweeper, Sudoku, Gomoku, Tank Battle

More tools