axletree

American  

[ak-suhl-tree] / ˈæk səlˌtri /

noun

1. a bar, fixed crosswise under an animal-drawn vehicle, with a rounded spindle at each end upon which a wheel rotates.

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axletree British  

/ ˈæksəlˌtriː /

noun

1. a bar fixed across the underpart of a wagon or carriage that has rounded ends on which the wheels revolve

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Etymology

Origin of axletree

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at axle, tree

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

axletree

Yen translated rapidly, scurrying along behind his sentences like a carriage dog beneath an axletree.

From Mortmain by Train, Arthur Cheny

The British put copper on the bottom of the spindle; Spanish and French designers put copper on the top, then set iron "axletree bars" into the bottom.

From Artillery Through the Ages A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America by Manucy, Albert

These sledges had tumbling wheels of solid wood a foot and a half in diameter, revolving with the wooden axletree, and held little more than a wheelbarrow.

From Stage-coach and Tavern Days by Earle, Alice Morse

And the whole axletree beneath was polluted with gore, and the rings which were round the chariot seat, which the drops from the horses' hoofs spattered, as well as from the felloes.

From The Iliad of Homer (1873) by Buckley, Theodore Alois

Under the rear axletree were suspended a tar-bucket and water-pail.

From Stage-coach and Tavern Days by Earle, Alice Morse