GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Found 2 definitions

1.       
   Pivot , n. [F.; prob. akin to It. piva pipe, F. pipe. See Pipe.]
   A fixed pin or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns.
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   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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   Hence, figuratively: A turning point or condition; that on which important results depend; as, the pivot of an enterprise.
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   (Mil.) The officer or soldier who simply turns in his place while the company or line moves around him in wheeling; -- called also pivot man.
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   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 (Dentistry), an artificial crown attached to the root of a natural tooth by a pin or peg.
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2.       
   Pivot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pivoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Pivoting.] To place on a pivot.
   Clarke.
   
   1913 Webster