Identified or located something with great precision and accuracy, narrowing it down to an exact spot or cause.
From 'pin' (a small, sharp fastener) plus 'point' (a location). The combination metaphorically suggests marking a location as precisely as you would with the point of a pin.
The term 'pinpointed' became popular in the 20th century along with mapping and precision technology—GPS, X-rays, and crime scene investigation all made pinpointing things a central part of modern problem-solving, which is why the metaphor stuck so hard in business and science.
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