swivel
- a fastening device that allows the thing fastened to turn around freely upon it, especially to turn in a full circle.
- such a device consisting of two parts, each of which turns around independently, as a compound link of a chain, one part of which turns freely in the other by means of a headed pin or the like.
- a pivoted support allowing a gun to turn around in a horizontal plane.
- a swivel gun.
- a device attached to a loom and used as a shuttle to weave extra threads in the production of small figures, especially dots.
- to turn or pivot on or as if on a swivel: He swiveled his chair around.
- to fasten by a swivel; furnish with a swivel.
- to turn on or if as on a swivel.
Origin of swivel
Examples from the Web for swivel
Contemporary Examples of swivel
Swivel Store Spice Rack Okay, so this is an As Seen On Television product.
He sits, leans back in his swivel chair and begins to discuss his SATC character, Aleksandr Petrovsky.
Historical Examples of swivel
He whirled about in his swivel chair, and blew a cloud of smoke from his mouth.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
The fat man grunted and hoisted himself out of the swivel chair.
Dream TownHenry Slesar
Even as they watched the gun moved on its swivel base, whirring underneath.
The GunPhilip K. Dick
Smoke-ring cannon for hail storms, swivel mounted, bow or stern.
With The Night MailRudyard Kipling
From the platform of the swivel they looked abroad over the sea.
swivel
- a coupling device which allows an attached object to turn freely
- such a device made of two parts which turn independently, such as a compound link of a chain
- a pivot on which is mounted a gun that may be swung from side to side in a horizontal plane
- Also called: swivel gunthe gun itself
- to turn or swing on or as if on a pivot
- (tr) to provide with, secure by, or support with a swivel
Word Origin for swivel
Word Origin and History for swivel
c.1300, from frequentative form of stem of Old English verb swifan "to move in a course, sweep" (a class I strong verb), from Proto-Germanic *swipanan (cf. Old Frisian swiva "to be uncertain," Old Norse svifa "to rove, ramble, drift"), from PIE root *swei- "swing, bend, move in a sweeping manner." Middle English swive was the principal slang for "to have sexual intercourse with," a sense that developed c.1300. This probably explains why, though the root is verbal, the verb swivel is not attested in Modern English until 1794. Cf. Middle English phrase smal-swivinge men "men who copulate infrequently."
1794, from swivel (n.). Related: Swiveled; swiveling; swivelled; swivelling.