FOCAL POINT

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does focal point mean? 

• FOCAL POINT (noun)
  The noun FOCAL POINT has 3 senses:

1. a point of convergence of light (or other radiation) or a point from which it diverges

2. a central point or locus of an infection in an organism

3. the concentration of attention or energy on something

  Familiarity information: FOCAL POINT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FOCAL POINT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A point of convergence of light (or other radiation) or a point from which it diverges

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

focal point; focus

Hypernyms ("focal point" is a kind of...):

point (the precise location of something; a spatially limited location)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A central point or locus of an infection in an organism

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

focal point; focus; nidus

Context example:

the focus of infection

Hypernyms ("focal point" is a kind of...):

point (the precise location of something; a spatially limited location)

Holonyms ("focal point" is a part of...):

focal infection (bacterial infection limited to a specific organ or region especially one causing symptoms elsewhere)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The concentration of attention or energy on something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

centering; direction; focal point; focus; focusing; focussing

Context example:

he had no direction in his life

Hypernyms ("focal point" is a kind of...):

absorption; concentration; engrossment; immersion (complete attention; intense mental effort)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "focal point"):

particularism (a focus on something particular)

 Context examples 

The Office of Special Populations Research was established in 1996 to advise the Director of NCI and provide a focal point for leadership and coordination on minority and other special populations research.

(Office of Special Populations Research, NCI Thesaurus)

The focal point of this illustration is the AKAP350 complex.

(Centrosome Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Office of the NCI Director serves as the focal point for the National Cancer Program; develops a National Cancer Plan and monitors implementation of the plan; directs and coordinates the Institute's programs and activities; and develops and provides policy guidance and staff direction to the Institute's programs in areas such as program coordination, program planning, clinical care and administrative management.

(Office of the Director, NCI Thesaurus)

The scientific consensus is that the rapidly melting Pine Island Glacier, the focal point of the study, would be a significant source of global sea level rise should the melting there continue or accelerate.

(Previously unsuspected volcanic activity confirmed under West Antarctic Ice Sheet at Pine Island Glacier, National Science Foundation)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a component of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, is the Federal Government's focal point for research of the availability, quality, and costs of health care services; and ways to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness of clinical practice, including the prevention of diseases.

(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NCI Thesaurus)

The binding of both kinases and phosphatases by the same scaffold protein provides a focal point where physiological events, such as cell cycle progression and intracellular membrane traffic, may be regulated by phosphorylation state of specific protein substrates.

(Centrosome Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)