swivel

English

(mechanical) heavy-duty swivel

Swivel (ordnance), Isle of Wight, UK

Etymology

From Middle English swyvel, swivel, from a derivative of Old English swīfan (“to revolve”), + -el, an instrumental suffix, equivalent to swive +‎ -el.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswɪvəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪvəl

Noun

swivel (countable and uncountable, plural swivels)

1. (mechanical) A piece, such as a ring or hook, attached to another piece by a pin, in such a manner as to permit rotation about the pin as an axis.
   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, in The Dust of Conflict‎^[1]:

     The patter of feet, and clatter of strap and swivel, seemed to swell into a bewildering din, but they were almost upon the fielato offices, where the carretera entered the town, before a rifle flashed.

2. (military) A small piece of ordnance, turning on a point or swivel; called also swivel gun.
   • 1796, John Stedman, chapter 4, in Narrative of a Five Years’ Expedition,‎^[2], volume 1, London: J. Johnson, page 81:

     [The settlement] was entirely surrounded by a broad unfordable marsh or swamp, which prevented all communication, except by private paths under water, known only to the rebels, and before which Baron had placed loaded swivels […]

   • 1881, Thomas Wilhelm, A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer:

     Applied to guns mounted upon the cartridges were fired without being tripods , stands , swivels , or carriages

3. (slang, uncountable) Strength of mind or character that enables one to overcome adversity; confidence; force of will.

   Bob ain't got no swivel.

4. The act of swivelling.
5. (dance) A rotating of the hips.
6. (fishing) A small, usually ball- or barrel-shaped device used in angling to connect sections of fishing lines, consisting of two rings linked via a thrust bearing pivot joint.

Derived terms

• keep one's head on a swivel
• snap swivel
• swivel bridge
• swivel chair
• swivel-chair
• swivel chary
• swivel eye
• swivel-eyed
• swivel gun
• swivel-hipped
• swivel hoe
• swivel hook
• swivel joint
• swivel knife
• swivelly
• swivel phone

 

Translations

piece to permit rotation

• Afrikaans: wartel
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 转节 (zh), 旋轴

• Dutch: wartel (nl)
• Esperanto: turnkruco
• Finnish: leikari (fi)
• French: émerillon (fr) m
• German: Wirbel (de) m
• Irish: udalán m
• Japanese: スイベル (suiberu)
• Plautdietsch: Woawel f
• Portuguese: elo giratório m
• Russian: вертлю́г (ru) m (vertljúg)
• Slovak: otočný čap, obrtlík
• Spanish: eslabón giratorio

military: small piece of ordnance — see swivel gun

slang: strength of mind or character

• Finnish: muna (fi)

dance: rotating of the hips

• Finnish: lanteiden pyöritys

Verb

swivel (third-person singular simple present swivels, present participle swiveling or swivelling, simple past and past participle swiveled or swivelled)

1. (intransitive) To swing or turn, as on a pin or pivot.
   • 2013 November 3, Delme Parfitt, “Cardiff City 1 - 0 Swansea City: Steven Caulker heads Bluebirds to South Wales derby win”, in Wales Online:

     As expected, Swansea began the game with some patient passing and the first chance fell to striker Michu in the fourth minute when he controlled a cross by Jonjo Shelvey and swivelled in the penalty box, only to fire over the bar.

Translations

to swing or turn, as on a pin or pivot

• Bulgarian: въртя се около ос (vǎrtja se okolo os)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 转动 (zh)

• Esperanto: pivoti
• French: pivoter (fr)
• German: pivotieren (de), schwenken (de)

References

“swivel”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• wevils