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fulcrum

 - 6 dictionary results

ful·crum

   [fool-kruhm, fuhl-] noun,plural-crums, -cra  [-kruh] , verb
–noun
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)
4.
to fit with a fulcrum; put a fulcrum on.
Use fulcrum in a Sentence
Origin:
1665–75; < L: back-support of a couch, appar. for fulctrum, equiv. to fulc(īre) to hold up, support + -trum n. suffix of instrument
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
fulcrum (ˈfʊlkrəm, ˈfʌl-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n , pl -crums, -cra
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
 
[C17: from Latin: foot of a couch, bedpost, from fulcire to prop up]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

fulcrum
1670s, "a prop, a support," borrowing of L. fulcrum "bedpost," from fulcire "to prop up, support" (see balk).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

fulcrum ful·crum (f&oobreve;l'krəm, fŭl'-)
n. pl. ful·crums or ful·cra (-krə)

  1. The point or support on which a lever pivots.

  2. An anatomical structure that acts as a hinge or a point of support.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
fulcrum   (fl'krəm)  Pronunciation Key 


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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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary
fulcrum [(fool-kruhm, ful-kruhm)]

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

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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