I. ˈfu̇lkrəm, ˈfəl- noun
( plural fulcrums -mz ; or ful·cra -rə)
Etymology: Late Latin, from Latin, bedpost, from fulcire to prop — more at balk
1.
a. : prop , support ; specifically : the support about which a lever turns
an oar rests against some kind of fulcrum on the boat — Notes & Queries on Anthropology
— see lever illustration
b. : one that supplies leverage for action
he is … the reader's eyes and ears and the fulcrum of his judgment — Bernard De Voto
2.
[New Latin, from Late Latin]
: a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support:
a. : one of the small modified scales or spines on the anterior edge of the fins of many ganoid and a few teleost fishes
b. : the horny inferior surface of the ligula of various insects ; specifically : a chitinous framework at the base of the proboscis of insects of the order Diptera
c. : the stem or median part of the incus of the mastax of certain rotifers
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to furnish with a fulcrum : apply a fulcrum to : make a fulcrum of