Noun

(en noun)

A thing on which something turns; specifically a metal pointed pin or short shaft in machinery, such as the end of an axle or spindle.

Something or someone having a paramount significance in a certain situation.

* {{quote-book, year=1905, author=

, title= , chapter=1 citation , passage=“The story of this adoption is, of course, the pivot round which all the circumstances of the mysterious tragedy revolved. Mrs. Yule had an only son, namely, William, to whom she was passionately attached ; but, like many a fond mother, she had the desire of mapping out that son's future entirely according to her own ideas. […]”}}

Act of turning on one foot.

* 2012 , Banking reform: Sticking together , The Economist, 18th August issue

Sandy Weill was the man who stitched Citigroup together in the 1990s and in the process helped bury the Glass-Steagall act, a Depression-era law separating retail and investment banking. Last month he performed a perfect pivot : he now wants regulators to undo his previous work.

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

(roller derby) A player with responsibility for co-ordinating their team in a particular jam.

(computing) An element of a set to be sorted that is chosen as a midpoint, so as to divide the other elements into two groups to be dealt with recursively.

Noun

(es)

A device to turn electric current on]] and [[turn off, off or direct its flow.

A change.

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=January 19 , author=Jonathan Stevenson , title=Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Wenger sent on Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie to try to finish Leeds off and with 14 minutes left the switch paid off as the Spaniard sent Bendtner away down the right and his wonderful curling cross was headed in by Van Persie at the far post. }}

(rail transport, US) A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two destination tracks; point.

A slender woody plant stem used as a whip; a thin, flexible rod, associated with corporal punishment in the United States.

* 2007 , Jeffrey W. Hamilton, Raising Godly Children in a Wicked World , Lulu.com, page 15:

"A proper switch is a slim, flexible branch off a tree or a bush. A switch applied to the buttocks stings fiercely. It may leave red marks or bruises, but it causes no lasting damage. ."

(computer science) A command line notation allowing specification of optional behavior.

Use the /b switch to specify black-and-white printing.

(computing, programming) A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression.

* 2004', "Curt", ''Can I use IF statements, and still use '''switches ?'' (on newsgroup ''microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields )

(computing, networking) A networking device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously, when possible. Compare to the less efficient hub device that solely duplicates network packets to each wire.

(telecommunication) A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the interconnection of a calling party's telephone line with any called party's line.

(BDSM) One who is willing to take either a sadistic or a masochistic role.

* 2012 , Terri-Jean Bedford, Bondage Bungalow Fantasies (page 99)

Ideally, if one of your ladies happens to be a switch (or would be willing to switch for this scene), I would love to be able to inflict a little "revenge tickling" as well, as part of a scenario.

A separate mass or tress of hair, or of some substance (such as jute) made to resemble hair, formerly worn on the head by women.