Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

pointing device
     
         Any hardware component that allows a user to input
        spatial data to a computer.  {CAD} systems and {Graphical User
        Interfaces} (GUI) allow the user to control and provide data
        to the computer using physical "gestures" - {point}, {click},
        and {drag} - typically by moving a hand-held {mouse} across
        the surface of the physical desktop and activating switches on
        the mouse.  Movements of the pointing device are echoed on a
        graphical representation of a desktop on the screen by
        movements of the {mouse pointer} and other visual changes.
     
        While the most common pointing device by far is a mouse, other
        kinds include {tracker ball}, {trackpad}, {lightpen}, various
        kinds of {digitising tablets} which use a stylus, and even a
        special "{data glove}" that translates the user's movements to
        computer gestures.
     
        (1997-02-03)