01 n. A fixed pin or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns.
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1.
A fixed pin or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns.
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2.
The end of a shaft or arbor which rests and turns in a support; as, the pivot of an arbor in a watch.
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3.
Hence, figuratively: A turning point or condition; that on which important results depend; as, the pivot of an enterprise.
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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.(Mil.) Also: pivot man
Phrases & compounds
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.
Pivot tooth —
an artificial crown attached to the root of a natural tooth by a pin or peg.