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fulcrum
[ fool-kruhm, fuhl- ]
/ ˈfʊl krəm, ˈfʌl- /
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noun, plural ful·crums, ful·cra [fool-kruh, fuhl-]. /ˈfʊl krə, ˈfʌl-/.
the support, or point of rest, on which a lever turns in moving a body.
any prop or support.
Zoology. any of various structures in an animal serving as a hinge or support.
verb (used with object)
to fit with a fulcrum; put a fulcrum on.
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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
Words nearby fulcrum
Fulani, Fulani Empire, Fulbright, Fulbright Act, Fulbright scholarships, fulcrum, fulfil, fulfill, fulfilling, fulfillment, fulgent
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use fulcrum in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for fulcrum
fulcrum
/ (ˈfʊlkrəm, ˈfʌl-) /
noun plural -crums or -cra (-krə)
the pivot about which a lever turns
something that supports or sustains; prop
a spinelike scale occurring in rows along the anterior edge of the fins in primitive bony fishes such as the sturgeon
Word Origin for fulcrum
C17: from Latin: foot of a couch, bedpost, from fulcire to prop up
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fulcrum
fulcrum
[ ful′krəm ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for fulcrum
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.