Fulcrum

WORD OF THE DAY

fulcrum / noun / FULL-krum

Definition

1a: prop 

1b: the support about which a lever turns

1c: one that supplies capability for action

2: a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support

Examples

"Normally, bending involves using the hip as a fulcrum, and erector spinae muscles to support our trunk. When Jackson leaned over, he transferred the fulcrum to the ankle, with the calf and Achilles tendon under strain." 

— Jake Rossen, Mental Floss, 22 May 2018

"In 2014, then-Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a non-binding opinion advising that bag bans are legal if they are not aimed at 'solid waste management.' That murky phrase, which appears in the Texas Health and Safety Code, has become the fulcrum for debate on the issue." 

— Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune, 22 June 2018

Did You Know?

Fulcrum, a word that means "bedpost" in Latin, derives from the verb fulcire, which means "to prop." When the word fulcrum was used in the 17th century, it referred to the point on which a lever or similar device (such as the oar of a boat) is supported. 

It did not take long for the word to develop a figurative sense referring to something used as a spur or justification to support a certain action. 

In zoology, fulcrum can also refer to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird's wing.