fulcrum
NounUS[fool-kruhm]/ˈfʊlkrəm/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Word of the day · Nov 2About this word
perniciousadjective
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Ful′crum noun; pl. L. Fulcra (#), E. Fulcrums (#).
Origin: L., bedpost, fr. fulcire to prop.
1. A prop or support.
2. Mechanics That by which a lever is sustained, or about which it turns in lifting or moving a body.
3. Botany An accessory organ such as a tendril, stipule, spine, and the like. rare Asa Gray
4. Zoology (a) The horny inferior surface of the lingua of certain insects. (b) One of the small, spiniform scales found on the front edge of the dorsal and caudal fins of many ganoid fishes.
5. Anatomy The connective tissue supporting the framework of the retina of the eye.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54