fulcrum

[ fool-kruhm, fuhl- ]

noun

, plural ful·crums, ful·cra [fool, -kr, uh, fuhl, -].

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.

verb (used with object)

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

fulcrum

/ 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

fulcrum

/ 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.

fulcrum

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fulcrum¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fulcrum¹

C17: from Latin: foot of a couch, bedpost, from fulcire to prop up

Example Sentences

That’s clearly the fulcrum of the whole work.

From Salon

Rona may hail from a Northern Isles sheep farm, but as a 20-something studying biology in London, her life is one long, blitzed club crawl until a particularly chaotic night ends in her being assaulted — this narrative’s fulcrum as we move forward and backward.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, the U.S. is still, in many ways, the world’s most powerful nation, but it has less leverage over weaker nations because the source of fear—the fulcrum of America’s leverage—has vanished.

From Slate

Her agents Fulcrum Talent told BBC News Sylvestre would be "sorely missed by so many".

From BBC

Gomez, solemn and low-key — who one could not have foreseen becoming the fulcrum in a May-December comedy trio — provides the perfect balance.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blueprint
• clue
• code
• core
• guide
• indicator
• means
• passport
• password
• sign
• ticket