[hinj] 
noun, verb, hinged, hing⋅ing.| 1. | a jointed device or flexible piece on which a door, gate, shutter, lid, or other attached part turns, swings, or moves. |
| 2. | a natural anatomical joint at which motion occurs around a transverse axis, as that of the knee or a bivalve shell. |
| 3. | that on which something is based or depends; pivotal consideration or factor. |
| 4. | Also called mount. Philately. a gummed sticker for affixing a stamp to a page of an album, so folded as to form a hinge, allowing the stamp to be raised to reveal the text beneath. |
| 5. | to be dependent or contingent on, or as if on, a hinge (usually fol. by on or upon): Everything hinges on his decision. |
| 6. | to furnish with or attach by a hinge or hinges. |
| 7. | to attach as if by a hinge. |
| 8. | to make or consider as dependent upon; predicate: He hinged his action on future sales. |
hinge (hĭnj)
n.
A jointed or flexible device that allows the turning or pivoting of a part, such as a door or lid, on a stationary frame.
hinge on
Also, hinge upon. Depend or be contingent on, as in This plan hinges on her approval. This expression employs the verb hinge in the sense of "to hang," as a door would hang on a hinge, a usage dating from the early 1700s.
