Nearby Words

hinging

[hinj] Origin

hinge

[hinj] noun, verb, hinged, hing·ing.
noun
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.
verb (used without object)
5.
to be dependent or contingent on, or as if on, a hinge (usually followed by on or upon): Everything hinges on his decision.

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Hinging is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
verb (used with object)
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.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English henge; cognate with Low German heng(e), Middle Dutch henge hinge; akin to hang

hinge·less, adjective
hinge·like, adjective
re·hinge, verb (used with object), -hinged, -hing·ing.
well-hinged, adjective


5. rest, swing, pivot, depend.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hinge
c.1300, "the axis of the earth;" late 14c. as "movable joint of a gate or door," not found in O.E., cognate with M.Du. henghe "hook, handle," M.L.G. henge "hinge;" all derived from the root of the verb hang on notion of the thing from which a door hangs.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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