axil

[ ak-sil ]

nounBotany.
  1. the angle between the upper side of a leaf or stem and the supporting stem or branch.

Origin of axil

1
First recorded in 1785–95, axil is from the Latin word axilla armpit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use axil in a sentence

  • In the daytime individuals were found in the axils of leaves of the elephant-ear plants (Xanthosoma).

  • Its fronds vary from one to three inches in length, and the spores are arranged singly in the axils of the branchlets.

    The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
  • The fruit hangs from the axils of the leaves on slender stems.

    Forest Trees of Illinois | Fuller George D.
  • It grows in little bunches, in the axils of pairs of fleshy leaves, on a climbing vine.

    At Last | Charles Kingsley
  • The flowers are in clusters in the axils of the leaves, are white in color, resembling orange-tree flowers, and perfume the air.

    Breakfast Dainties | Thomas J. Murrey

British Dictionary definitions for axil

axil

/ (ˈæksɪl) /


noun
  1. the angle between the upper surface of a branch or leafstalk and the stem from which it grows

Origin of axil

1
C18: from Latin axilla armpit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for axil

axil

[ ăksĭl ]


  1. The angle between the upper side of a leaf or stem and the stem or branch that supports it. A bud is usually found in the axil.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.