fulcrum
noun
ˈfəl-
Gerald Mast Bernard De Voto
Did you know?
Fulcrum, which means "bedpost" in Latin, comes from the verb fulcire, which means "to prop." When the word fulcrum was first 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. The literal use easily supported figurative use, and it didn't take long for the word to develop a meaning referring to one deemed essential to the function or development of something. Despite fulcrum's multiple senses, the word's meanings have kept a steady theme. In zoology, fulcrum refers to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird's wing.
Examples of fulcrum in a Sentence
Ben Pickman, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
In Interstellar, the thematic fulcrum on which the whole movie turns is a series of scenes where our hero Coop (McConaughey) says good-bye to his 10-year-old daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) in her room before heading off to space for one last mission.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
The result has been a shift of Europe’s political fulcrum to other countries that would have seemed unlikely leaders just a couple of years ago – Poland, the Nordic and Baltic countries near Russia, and Britain.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Nov. 2024
Vučević was supposed to be the fulcrum of Chicago’s attack but instead has become a competent, inoffensive fourth option; the Miami Heat guarded him with Nikola Jović with no consequences whatsoever in Chicago’s Play-In loss.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 23 Apr. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Fulcrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fulcrum. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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fulcrum
noun
ˈfəl-
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