Meanings
fulcrum1
plural fulcrums · plural fulcra
- engineeringThe support about which a lever pivots.
It is possible to flick food across the table using your fork as a lever and your finger as a fulcrum.
2 more examples
MILDRED: Archimedes said give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it and I will move the world. CHARLOTTE: Yeah she said that twaddle eight or nine times.
2010, John Allison, Bad MachineryA doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place.
2012 March 28, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3 - figurativelyA crux or pivot; a central point.
By this point the fulcrum of concern is the stuprum of men upon men, described as more prevalent than that upon women.
2006, Rebecca Langlands, Sexual Morality in Ancient Rome, page 1191 more example
Chelsea's Mason Mount is a top-class talent while West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has moved his game on to another level this season and will be the fulcrum of England's midfield this summer.
2021 March 31, Phil McNulty, “England 2-1 Poland: What shape are Gareth Southgate's side in?”, in BBC Sport
Fulcrum2
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latinfulcrum“bedpost, foot of a couch”
- Englishfulcrum
Borrowed from Latin fulcrum (“bedpost, foot of a couch”), from fulciō (“prop up, support”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὑπομόχλιον
- ὑπομόχλιον (hupomókhlion)support about which a lever pivots
Bulgarian опорна точка
- опорна точка (oporna točka)support about which a lever pivots
Catalan fulcre
- fulcresupport about which a lever pivots
Chinese Mandarin 支點 /支点
- 支點 /支点 (zhīdiǎn)support about which a lever pivots
Czech opěrný bod, opora
- opěrný bodsupport about which a lever pivots
- oporasupport about which a lever pivots
- střed otáčenísupport about which a lever pivots
Danish understøttelsespunkt
- understøttelsespunktsupport about which a lever pivots
Dutch draaipunt, steunpunt
- draaipuntsupport about which a lever pivots
- steunpuntsupport about which a lever pivots
Esperanto apogpunkto
- apogpunktosupport about which a lever pivots
Finnish tukipiste
- tukipistesupport about which a lever pivots
French point d'appui
- point d'appuisupport about which a lever pivots
German Angelpunkt, Drehpunkt
- Angelpunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- Drehpunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- Hebelstützpunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- Lagersupport about which a lever pivots
- Drehachsesupport about which a lever pivots
- Stützpunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- Gelenkpunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- Stützesupport about which a lever pivots
- Dreh- und Angelpunkta crux or pivot; a central point
Greek υπομόχλιο
- υπομόχλιο (ypomóchlio)support about which a lever pivots
Hungarian forgáspont, forgástengely
- forgáspontsupport about which a lever pivots
- forgástengelysupport about which a lever pivots
Indonesian fulkrum, titik tumpu
- fulkrumsupport about which a lever pivots
- titik tumpusupport about which a lever pivots
Irish borradh, buthal
- borradhsupport about which a lever pivots
- buthalsupport about which a lever pivots
Italian fulcro
- fulcrosupport about which a lever pivots
Japanese 支点
- 支点 (shiten)support about which a lever pivots
Latin fulcrum
- fulcrumsupport about which a lever pivots
Malay sangga tuas, fulkrum
- sangga tuassupport about which a lever pivots
- fulkrumsupport about which a lever pivots
Māori kaurori
- kaurorisupport about which a lever pivots
Norwegian dreiepunkt, dreiningspunkt
- dreiepunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- dreiningspunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- hvilepunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- omdreiningspunktsupport about which a lever pivots
Persian تکیهگاه
- تکیهگاهsupport about which a lever pivots
Polish punkt podparcia, sedno
- punkt podparciasupport about which a lever pivots
- sednoa crux or pivot; a central point
Portuguese fulcro, ponto de apoio
- fulcrosupport about which a lever pivots
- ponto de apoiosupport about which a lever pivots
Romanian punct de sprijin
- punct de sprijinsupport about which a lever pivots
Russian то́чка опо́ры
- то́чка опо́ры (tóčka opóry)support about which a lever pivots
Spanish pivote, punto de apoyo
- pivotesupport about which a lever pivots
- punto de apoyosupport about which a lever pivots
- fulcrosupport about which a lever pivots
- hipomocliosupport about which a lever pivots
- pivotea crux or pivot; a central point
Swedish rotationspunkt, ledpunkt
- rotationspunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- ledpunktsupport about which a lever pivots
- vridningspunktsupport about which a lever pivots
Turkish destek
- desteksupport about which a lever pivots
Ukrainian точка опори
- точка опори (točka opory)support about which a lever pivots
Welsh ffwlcrwm, pwysbwynt
- ffwlcrwmsupport about which a lever pivots
- pwysbwyntsupport about which a lever pivots
Cite this entry
fulcrum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fulcrum
“fulcrum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fulcrum. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fulcrum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fulcrum.
Source: fulcrum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.