fulcrum means NATO code name for the Soviet MiG-29 aircraft. It carries an Arena rating of 1745, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, fulcrum ranks #1,094 of 17,052 for Most Vivid Words, #1,460 of 17,052 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,726 of 17,052 for Most Malleable Words, #1,803 of 17,052 for Most Elegant Words.
fulcrum is pronounced /ˈfʊlkɹəm/.
Why “fulcrum” is a great word
The fixed point or support on which a lever pivots, or more broadly, any central and enabling element. From the Latin fulcrum ("bedpost, foot of a couch"), from fulcīre ("to prop up, support"), first attested in English in the 1670s. Unlike a "pivot," which emphasizes the act of turning, or an "axis," an often-imaginary line of rotation, the fulcrum is the tangible, unyielding rest that enables the leverage itself. It is the gray stone on which the crowbar bites, the dry log braced under the great rock, the unspoken truth upon which an entire argument turns—a quiet spot of perfect stillness that makes all motion possible.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin fulcrum (“bedpost, foot of a couch”), from fulciō (“prop up, support”).
name
- NATO code name for the Soviet MiG-29 aircraft.
noun
- The support about which a lever pivots.e.g.“It is possible to flick food across the table using your fork as a lever and your finger as a fulcrum.”
- A crux or pivot; a central point.e.g.“By this point the fulcrum of concern is the stuprum of men upon men, described as more prevalent than that upon women.”
Words closest in meaning
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