fulcrum

American  

[fool-kruhm, fuhl-] / ˈfʊl krəm, ˈfʌl- /

noun

plural

fulcrums, fulcra

1. the support, or point of rest, on which a lever turns in moving a body.

2. any prop or support.

3. Zoology. any of various structures in an animal serving as a hinge or support.

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verb (used with object)

1. to fit with a fulcrum; put a fulcrum on.

fulcrum British  

/ ˈfʊlkrəm, ˈfʌl- /

noun

1. the pivot about which a lever turns

2. something that supports or sustains; prop

3. a spinelike scale occurring in rows along the anterior edge of the fins in primitive bony fishes such as the sturgeon

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fulcrum Scientific  

/ fl′krəm /

1. The point or support on which a lever turns. The position of the fulcrum, relative to the positions of the load and effort, determines the type of lever.

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fulcrum Cultural  

1. The point on which a lever is balanced when a force is exerted.

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Etymology

Origin of fulcrum

1665–75; < Latin: back-support of a couch, apparently for fulctrum, equivalent to fulc ( īre ) to hold up, support + -trum noun suffix of instrument

Example Sentences

The fulcrum of the political year ahead isn't likely to be until Thursday 7 May.

From BBC

For all the talent elsewhere, Robertson was Forest's fulcrum.

From BBC

I keep getting back to this word, fulcrum.

From BBC

“As this month winds down, we look for the crude markets to continue to act as a fulcrum with diesel providing leadership on both the upside and now the downside,” Ritterbusch says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

The fulcrum of fortune has a way of seesawing from one condition to its opposite with no warning, like a sudden squall on an otherwise balmy day.

From Literature

Related Words

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