Meanings
plural jonbar hinges
- literatureIn time travel stories: a seemingly trivial event which ultimately marks the point of divergence between two radically different timelines.
Synonyms: jonbar point
Synonyms & antonyms
nounIn time travel stories: a seemingly trivial event which ultimately marks the point of divergence between two radically different timelines.
Origin
A reference to the novel The Legion of Time (1938), in which the character John Barr having the choice of picking up of one of two objects (a magnet or a pebble) marks a major turning point in history: one will lead to the utopian empire of Jonbar (named after John Barr himself), while the other leads to the rise of the tyrannical state of Gyronchi. Further etymology at John, Barr.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
jonbar hinge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jonbar%20hinge
“jonbar hinge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jonbar%20hinge. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jonbar hinge,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jonbar%20hinge.
Source: jonbar hinge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.