French Conversation · Level 3
88 words
French word
pivot
Pronunciation
IPA/pivo/
Meaning
- masculine nounpivot
Example
La porte tourne sur son pivot.
The door rotates around its pivot.
More examples
Il est le pivot de l'équipe.
He is the team's pivot.
Core concept
The central hinge-like point that keeps a rotating object in place while its position changes around it.
Common phrases
pivot de l'équipe
team's pivot
rôle pivot
pivotal role
pivot central
central pivot
Similar words
charnière: A fitting that lets a door or lid open and close.
axe: An imaginary line or structural part that determines rotation or direction.
point: A point marking a location or specific place.
centre: The middle point of a shape or object, central to rotation or symmetry.
Definition in French
Pièce, axe ou point autour duquel quelque chose tourne; locution courante: « tourner sur son pivot » pour décrire une rotation sur place et, au sens figuré, un changement de position.
Word origin
French pivot comes through medieval French from a medieval Latin form referring to an axle or turning support, with the central sense extending from this physical use.
Usage tips
- In tourner sur son pivot, the phrase can describe a physical rotation or a figurative change of position, depending on context.
Other meanings
- axisnoun
Opposites
- périphérieperipherynoun
- extrémitéextremitynoun
Related words
- pivoterpivotverb