tournant

Tournant (French for “turn,” “change” or “pivot”) is a polyvalent term used across several fields, most notably language, the arts, and technical design. In French, it functions as an adjective and noun denoting a point of reversal or a moment in which a situation shifts direction, often employed in expressions such as “un tournant décisif” (a decisive turning point).

In ballet, tournant refers to a class of turning movements, encompassing pirouettes and fouettés, where the dancer rotates around a vertical axis while maintaining balance on one foot. The term is also applied in music theory to describe a modulation or key change that redirects a composition’s tonal center. In literature, a “tournant narratif” designates a plot twist that alters the trajectory of the story.

Technical uses include the design of rotating machinery; a “tournant” may describe a swivel or turntable that permits smooth angular motion, as found in printing presses, stage platforms, and certain types of industrial valves. In architecture, a “tournant” window or door indicates a pivoting opening that swings about a vertical axis rather than hinging on a side.

The word appears in several titles, notably the French film *Le Tournant* (1960), a drama about personal transformation, and the culinary magazine *Tournant*, which focuses on contemporary French gastronomy. Across contexts, tournant consistently conveys the notion of change through rotation or a pivotal shift.