Axel

¹ American  

[ak-suhl] / ˈæk səl /

noun

1. a first name.

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axel ² American  

[ak-suhl] / ˈæk səl /

noun

Figure Skating.

1. a jump performed by a skater leaping from the front outer edge of one skate into the air to make 1½ rotations of the body and landing on the back outer edge of the other skate.

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axel British  

/ ˈæksəl /

noun

1. skating a jump in which the skater takes off from the forward outside edge of one skate, makes one and a half, two and a half, or three and a half turns in the air, and lands on the backward outside edge of the other skate

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Usage

What does axel mean? An axel is a maneuver in figure skating. The skater leaps from the front outside edge of one skate, rotates 1 ½ times, and lands on the rear outside edge of the other skate.The axel, also known as the axel jump, is considered the most difficult of the six jumps in figure skating. A tripleaxel, where a skater rotates 3 ½ times, has a starting value of 8 points at the Olympics, compared to the 3.3 points given for a double (2 ½ rotations) axel.Example: The judges were impressed by the skater’s axel and her perfect landing after completing the spin.

Etymology

Origin of axel

First recorded in 1925–30; after Axel Paulsen (1855–1938), Norwegian figure skater, who popularized the maneuver

Example Sentences

Leading up to the 2022 Olympics, Chen dabbled with a quadruple axel during practice, but stopped training it as the Games approached.

From Los Angeles Times

She was born in Massachusetts to Nigerian immigrants and, as a teen, was an exceptional figure skater: one who could land double axels with a practiced ease that betrayed the intense commitment behind them.

From Los Angeles Times

The recent World Figure Skating Championships produced exciting results, including a 19-year-old American landing a quadruple axel and a 40-year-old pairs skater who became the oldest woman to win a world figure skating championship.

From New York Times

And with that issue still in the back of his mind, he wasn’t sure whether he would try the quad axel.

From Seattle Times

As usual, Jason Brown brought down the house at Nationwide Arena despite a fall on his opening triple axel.

From Seattle Times