Dictionary > Pivot

Pivot

pivot
1. A fixed pin or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns.
2. The end of a shaft or arbor which rests and turns in a support; as, the pivot of an arbor in a watch.
3. Hence, figuratively: A turning point or condition; that on which important results depend; as, the pivot of an enterprise.
4. The officer or soldier who simply turns in his place whike the company or line moves around him in wheeling; called also pivot man. Pivot bridge, a form of drawbridge in which one span, called the pivot span, turns about a central vertical axis. Pivot gun, a gun mounted on a pivot or revolving carriage, so as to turn in any direction.
(Science: dentistry) Pivot tooth, an artificial crown attached to the root of a natural tooth by a pin or peg.
Origin: F.; prob. Akin to It. Piva pipe, F. Pipe. See Pipe.


You will also like...

squirrel
Animal Water Regulation

Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

Plant Water Regulation
Plant Water Regulation

Plants need to regulate water in order to stay upright and structurally stable. Find out the different evolutionary adap..

Water Cycle
The Water Cycle

The water cycle (also referred to as the hydrological cycle) is a system of continuous transfer of water from the air, s..

Adaptation Tutorial
Adaptation Tutorial

Adaptation, in biology and ecology, refers to the process or trait through which organisms or the populations in a habit..

Plant biology
Plant Biology

Plantlife can be studied at a variety of levels, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, c..

Early Earth
The Origins of Life

This tutorial digs into the past to investigate the origins of life. The section is split into geological periods in the..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics