ax

¹

or axe

[ aks ]

noun

, plural ax·es [ak, -siz].

1. an instrument with a bladed head on a handle or helve, used for hewing, cleaving, chopping, etc.
2. Jazz Slang. any musical instrument.
3. the ax, Informal.
   1. dismissal from employment:

      to get the ax.

   2. expulsion from school.
   3. rejection by a lover, friend, etc.:

      His girlfriend gave him the ax.

   4. any usually summary removal or curtailment.

verb (used with object)

, axed, ax·ing.

1. to shape or trim with an ax.
2. to chop, split, destroy, break open, etc., with an ax:

   The firemen had to ax the door to reach the fire.

3. Informal. to dismiss, restrict, or destroy brutally, as if with an ax:

   The main office axed those in the field who didn't meet their quota. Congress axed the budget.

ax-

²

1. variant of axi-, especially before a vowel.

ax.

³

abbreviation for

1. axiom.

Other Words From

• axlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ax¹

before 1000; Middle English; ax ( e ), ex ( e ), Old English æx, æces; akin to Gothic aquizi, Old Norse øx, ǫx, Old High German acc ( h ) us, a ( c ) kus ( German Axt ), Middle High German plural exa < Germanic *akwiz-, akuz-, aksi- ≪ *ákəs, áks-; Latin ascia (< *acsiā ), Greek axī́nē; < Indo-European *ag-s-

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have an ax to grind, to have a personal or selfish motive:

   His interest may be sincere, but I suspect he has an ax to grind.

More idioms and phrases containing ax

In addition to the idiom beginning with ax , also see get the ax .