Library / English Dictionary

HINGE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing relative to the other

Synonyms:

flexible joint; hinge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("hinge" is a kind of...):

joint (junction by which parts or objects are joined together)

Meronyms (parts of "hinge"):

pintle (a pin or bolt forming the pivot of a hinge)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hinge"):

butt hinge (a hinge mortised flush into the edge of the door and jamb)

joint hinge; strap hinge (a hinge with two long straps; one strap is fastened to the surface of a moving part (e.g., a door or lid) and the other is fastened to the adjacent stationary frame)

T hinge; tee hinge (a hinge that looks like the letter T when it is opened; similar to a strap hinge except that one strap has been replaced by half of a butt hinge that can be mortised flush into the stationary frame)

Holonyms ("hinge" is a part of...):

bi-fold door (an interior door)

car door (the door of a car)

exterior door; outside door (a doorway that allows entrance to or exit from a building)

French door (a light door with transparent or glazed panels extending the full length)

gate (a movable barrier in a fence or wall)

swing door; swinging door (a door that swings on a double hinge; opens in either direction)

Derivation:

hinge (attach with a hinge)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A circumstance upon which subsequent events depend

Example:

his absence is the hinge of our plan

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("hinge" is a kind of...):

circumstance (a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Attach with a hinge

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "hinge" is one way to...):

attach (cause to be attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

hinge (a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing relative to the other)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A ginglymoid (hinge) synovial joint between the phalanges of the fourth digit of the hand or foot.

(Interphalangeal Joint 4, NCI Thesaurus)

A ginglymoid (hinge) synovial joint within the fourth digit of the foot connecting the proximal and middle phalanges.

(Interphalangeal Joint 4, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

This allele, which encodes galectin-8 protein, plays a role is several diverse processes that hinge upon integrin-like cellular interactions such as development, differentiation, cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix interaction, growth regulation, apoptosis and RNA splicing.

(LGALS8 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

The thatch had fallen in, the walls were unplastered, and the door was off its hinges.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Bending down, he thrust his great fingers under it, and with a heave raised the whole mass of wood and iron from its hinges.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The arched door stood right in the face of us, and on one side a lattice hung open upon its hinges.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Any device that resembles a small leaf, especially one that has two thin blades hinged in the center.

(Leaflet Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

The skin of the hinge joint that is located between the thigh and lower leg.

(Knee Skin, NCI Thesaurus)

A ginglymoid (hinge) synovial joint between the phalanges of the fifth digit of the hand or foot.

(Interphalangeal Joint 5, NCI Thesaurus)

A ginglymoid (hinge) synovial joint within the fifth digit of the foot connecting the proximal and middle phalanges.

(Interphalangeal Joint 5, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)