noun
axle
AK-suhl
noun
1
The rod or shaft that a wheel turns on, or that turns together with a pair of wheels.
"The truck snapped its rear axle after hitting the pothole."
"Mechanics greased the front axle before the long drive."
How to Use Axle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe bar that a wheel spins around.
Common pairings
front axle
rear axle
broken axle
Word Forms
axles plural, axles plural
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The truck snapped its rear _____ after hitting the pothole.
Etymology
From Old English eaxl, originally meaning "shoulder", related to Latin axis and German Achsel ("armpit") — the idea of a joint that things pivot on.