a beginning from which an enterprise is launched; "he uses other people's ideas as a springboard for his own"; "reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions"; "the point of departure of international comparison cannot be an institution but must be the function it carries out"
someone who is appointed or elected to an office and who holds a position of trust; "he is an officer of the court"; "the club elected its officers for the coming year"
a giant planet with a ring of ice particles; the 8th planet from the sun is the most remote of the gas giants; "the existence of Neptune was predicted from perturbations in the orbit of Uranus and it was then identified in 1846"
(Roman mythology) god of the sea; counterpart of Greek Poseidon
a punishment in which a student must stay at school after others have gone home; "the detention of tardy pupils"
a state of being confined (usually for a short time); "his detention was politically motivated"; "the prisoner is on hold"; "he is in the custody of police"
move to and fro; "The shy student lingered in the corner"
be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action; "He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement"