Pivot etymology

1. Where did the term pivot come from?
2. What does pivot mean?
3. Why do people say pivot?
4. What is a pivot in war?

Where did the term pivot come from?

Pivot is a French borrowing that slowly evolved grammatically in the English language. It began as a noun in the 14th century designating a shaft or pin on which something turns ("The chair turns on a pivot"). Later it was applied to any central person or thing around which action revolves.

What does pivot mean?

To pivot is to turn or rotate, like a hinge. Or a basketball player pivoting back and forth on one foot to protect the ball.

Why do people say pivot?

“It's a weasel word,” says Darin Flynn, a linguist at the University of Calgary. “It presupposes simplicity.” Unlike “change” or “adapt,” which are vague, “pivot” is appealingly concrete – the way “spill the beans” is more concrete, and thus more evocative, than “gossip,” Prof. Flynn says.

What is a pivot in war?

(military) The officer or soldier who simply turns in his place while the company or line moves around him in wheeling.