Plain English Meaning
A gauge with more than one needle on the same dial, where each needle tells you part of the reading.
Full Definition
An instrument display style that uses two or more pointers on a single dial face to indicate a value, with each pointer representing a different scale or place value. The classic example is the three-pointer altimeter, where one pointer shows hundreds of feet, another shows thousands, and a third shows tens of thousands.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of older-style altimeters and how to read altitude from the instrument face.
Derivation
From 'multi-' (Latin multus, meaning 'many') and 'pointer' (the needle that points to a value on a dial). Together it simply means 'many pointers' — a dial with more than one needle, each doing a different job.
Why Pilots Care
Multipointer instruments are easy to misread, especially under stress. On a three-pointer altimeter, mistaking the thousands pointer for the hundreds pointer can produce a 1,000-foot altitude error — a in or near .