point person
4
7.1
- noun
- Jargon
:
persona de referencia
Examples
-
One was the point person for communications, researching alliance practices and the histories of queers of color.
Academic text (2012) -
A point person for the project in that unit would then place the order directly with Amazon, either via the Kindle reader's wireless connection or using a desktop computer via Amazon's website.
Academic text (2012) -
A mayoral aide said on background that UDC's point person on the advisory board wasn't invited because the city knew she'd be out of town.
Blog text (14) -
On the federal level, because this is going to be such a big job, I wanted to assign one particular person who would be in charge from our perspective, who would be our point person—because FEMA basically runs the recovery process, it doesn't focus on the rebuilding.
Blog text (12) -
The soldier acted as the point person for the patrol, always leading the way to ensure safety.
-
During the mission, the experienced scout served as the point person, identifying potential threats ahead.
-
As the designated point person, she was responsible for guiding the team through the unfamiliar terrain.
Synonyms
5
6.1
A person who stands outside a camp to watch for enemy movement
3
5.0
A person leading a movement or attack
1
7.4
A soldier who goes in front of a group to look for danger
A woman who goes first to lead a group, often in dangerous places
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'point' (a specific/front position) and 'person' (an individual) give a clear clue that this refers to someone positioned at the front or associated with a particular point, so a B1 learner could infer a general idea of a lead or designated individual. However, the exact conventional role (responsible for detecting danger, leading a patrol, or acting as primary contact) is somewhat specialized and conventionalized, so the meaning is not fully predictable from the parts alone.
Etymology
Point person comes from army patrols where the point was the very front of the group and the soldier there walked ahead to watch for danger. So a point person is 'the person at the front' or 'the one who leads and looks out for danger'.