axle

[ ak-suh l ]

/ ˈæk səl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR axle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Machinery. the pin, bar, shaft, or the like, on which or by means of which a wheel or pair of wheels rotates.

the spindle at either end of an axletree.

Nearby words

axis of symmetry, axis powers, axis traction, axis-traction forceps, axisymmetric, axle, axletree, axman, axminster carpet, axo-, axoaxonic

Origin of axle

before 900; Middle English axel, Old English eaxl shoulder, crossbeam (in eaxle-gespann); cognate with Old Frisian ax(e)le, Old Saxon ahsla, Old High German ahsala shoulder (German Achsel), Old Norse ǫxl, Latin āla (< derivative of *akslā)

Related forms

ax·led, adjectiveun·ax·led, adjective

Can be confused

axel axle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for axle

When we finally made it into the village, the axle on one of our trucks split in half.
A Man to Believe In: Eulogy for Marine Master Sergeant Aaron Torian|Elliot Ackerman|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This intricate sequence wrapped us around the axle more than once during design and testing in the years preceding launch.
Curiosity’s Mars Landing Narrated Moment by Moment by Flight Director Keith Comeaux|Keith Comeaux|August 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The success of the whole structure was extremely sensitive to the size of the axle.
The Hardest Part of Inventing the Wheel? Not the Round Part.|David Frum|March 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Then the larger the wheel, in proportion to the axle, the greater must be its effect?
Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained|Jane Haldimand Marcet and Thomas P. Jones

A small spring, U, keeps the ends of the pieces apart and allows the free turning of the axle until the brake lever is drawn.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
Then he moved in his bonds, and his furious exertions made the ancient wheel of the pillory shriek on its axle.
Notre-Dame de Paris|Victor Hugo
Though the railway can be repaired in parts, it cannot be made fit for use piecemeal, an axle to-day and a coach to-morrow.
The Accumulation of Capital|Rosa Luxemburg
Her stride from the axle of the wheel to the step higher would have been a graceful spectacle on Alpine crags.
The Amazing Marriage, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for axle

axle

/ (ˈæksəl) /

noun

a bar or shaft on which a wheel, pair of wheels, or other rotating member revolves

Word Origin for axle

C17: from Old Norse öxull; related to German Achse; see axis 1

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