n. [ F.; prob. akin to It. piva pipe, F. pipe. See Pipe. ] 1. A fixed pin or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns. [ 1913 Webster ]
2. The end of a shaft or arbor which rests and turns in a support; as, the pivot of an arbor in a watch. [ 1913 Webster ]
3. Hence, figuratively: A turning point or condition; that on which important results depend; as, the pivot of an enterprise. [ 1913 Webster ]
4. (Mil.) The officer or soldier who simply turns in his place whike the company or line moves around him in wheeling; -- called also pivot man. [ 1913 Webster ]
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. [ 1913 Webster ]