armpit

[ahrm-pit]

noun

1. the hollow under the arm at the shoulder; axilla.

2. Slang.,  the worst possible place or area.

   Their car has broken down, stranding them in the armpit of California until it can be fixed.

armpit

/ ˈɑːmˌpɪt /

noun

1. Technical name: axilla. the small depression beneath the arm where it joins the shoulder

2. slang,  an extremely unpleasant place

   the armpit of the Mediterranean

Word History and Origins

Origin of armpit¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; arm ¹ + pit ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

In June, the woman first felt what she described as like a "pull" under her armpit.

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Following her lead, I tuck my arms over my chest, hands in armpits, and we move briskly into the water together.

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Eve Ross, who is a nursery worker in Kent, went to her doctor after she discovered a small lump in her armpit in January 2024.

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Dove, the brand owned by Unilever, launched a marketing campaign in 2023 urging customers to post photographs of their sweaty armpits under the hashtag "Free the Pits".

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Ms Hempstead was bitten around her left armpit and upper arm, which severed an artery and a vein, and she went on to suffer multi-organ failure, the inquest was told.

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