axe
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axe¹
- /æks/
Sounds like acts, ask (some dialects) · Rhymes with -æks
Where it comes from
From Middle English ax, axe, ex, from Old English æx (“axe”), from Proto-West Germanic *akusi (“axe”), from Proto-Germanic *akwisī (“axe”), probably from a Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʷsih₂ (“axe”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”). Cognate with Scots aix (“axe”), Dutch aks (“axe”), German Axt (“axe”), Danish økse (“axe”), Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk øks (“axe”), Icelandic öxi (“axe”), Swedish yxa (“axe”), Latin ascia (“axe, mason's trowel”).
noun axes · ax
- A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
- An ancient weapon consisting of a head that has one or two blades and a long handle.
- A dismissal or rejection. His girlfriend/boss/schoolmaster gave him the axe.
- A drastic reduction or cutback. the Beeching Axe
- A gigging musician's particular instrument, especially a guitar in rock music or a saxophone in jazz.
- A position, interest, or reason in buying and selling stock, often with ulterior motives. A financial dealer has an axe in a stock that his buyers don't know about, giving him an advantage in making the most profit.
verb axes · axing · axeing · axed · ax
axe²
- /æks/
Sounds like acts, ask (some dialects) · Rhymes with -æks
Where it comes from
Derived from French axe, from Latin axis.
noun axes · ax
- The axle of a wheel.
verb axes · axing · axed · ax
- To furnish with an axle.
axe³
- /æks/
Sounds like acts, ask (some dialects) · Rhymes with -æks
Where it comes from
From Old English axian (“ask”); see ax for more.
verb axes · axing · axed
- Alternative form of ask Axe and it ſhalbe geven you. Seke and ye ſhall fynd / Knocke and it ſhalbe opened vnto you.
Axe⁴
Where it comes from
Ultimately derived from Proto-Brythonic *Uɨsk, a river name perhaps originally meaning "abundant in fish". Cognate with the river names Esk, Exe, and Usk.
proper noun the Axe
- A river in Dorset, Somerset, and east Devon, England, which flows into Lyme Bay at Seaton.
- A river in Somerset, England, which flows into the Bristol Channel at Weston-super-Mare.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ax, hatchet, machete, chopper, blade, hewer, helve, wedge, axle, cleaver, curtal, bitted, cut, hew, fire, fez
Translations
Every language
noun tool
| Español | hacha, facha, machado, segur |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 도끼 dokki |
| 日本語 | 斧 ono, アックス akkusu |
| 中文 | 斧頭 /斧头 fǔtóu, 斧 fǔ, 斧子 fǔzi |
| हिन्दी | कुल्हाड़ी kulhāṛī |
| Kiswahili | shoka |
| Português | machado |
| Français | hache, cognée |
| Deutsch | Axt, Beil |
| Italiano | ascia, accetta, scure, mannaia |
| Ελληνικά | τσεκούρι tsekoúri |
| Română | topor, secure |
| Русский | топо́р topór, колу́н kolún, секи́ра sekíra |
| Tiếng Việt | rìu |
| العربية | فَأْس faʔs |
| עברית | גַּרְזֶן garzen |
noun weapon
| Español | hacha |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 도끼 dokki |
| 日本語 | 斧 ono, アックス akkusu |
| 中文 | 斧頭 /斧头 fǔtóu, 斧 fǔ, 斧子 fǔzi |
| हिन्दी | कुल्हाड़ी kulhāṛī |
| Kiswahili | shoka |
| Português | machado |
| Français | hache |
| Deutsch | Streitaxt |
| Italiano | ascia |
| Ελληνικά | πέλεκυς pélekys |
| Română | secure, topor |
| Русский | топо́р topór, секи́ра sekíra |
noun rejection
| Kiswahili | shoka |
|---|---|
| Français | couperet |
| Deutsch | Korb, Laufpass |
| Italiano | taglio, scarto |
| Русский | отка́з otkáz |
noun instrument
| Français | gratte |
|---|
verb fell or chop
| Kiswahili | shoka |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | abhacken, fällen |
| Ελληνικά | τσεκουρώνω tsekouróno, πελεκώ pelekó, κόβω kóvo |
| Русский | руби́ть rubítʹ, поруби́ть porubítʹ |
verb terminate or reduce tremendously in a rough or ruthless manner
| 日本語 | 打ち切る uchikiru |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 腰斩 yāozhǎn |
| Kiswahili | shoka |
| Deutsch | streichen, beseitigen |
| Ελληνικά | περικόπτω perikópto, τσεκουρώνω tsekouróno |
Talk about this word "axe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/axe. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. axe. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/axe "axe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/axe.Cite this
@misc{axe_2026,
title = {axe},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/axe},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
