axe
nounverbnounverbverbcommon in dialogue
- //æks//
A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
noun
- 1
A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
- 2
An ancient weapon consisting of a head that has one or two blades and a long handle.
- 3
informalA dismissal or rejection.
His girlfriend/boss/schoolmaster gave him the axe.
- 4
figurativeA drastic reduction or cutback.
the Beeching Axe
The tractor plant is slated for the axe.
I had a job in the great North Woods Workin' as a cook for a spell But I never did like it all that much And one day the axe just fell
But P'u-yi was nothing if not soft when it came to family, and he arranged for the young man to live with his uncle Beitzu P'u-hsiu in P'u-yi's old house in T'ien-ching. So Yü-t'ai was well clear of Ch'ang-ch'un when the axe fell in 1945.
- 5
slangA gigging musician's particular instrument, especially a guitar in rock music or a saxophone in jazz.
- 6
A position, interest, or reason in buying and selling stock, often with ulterior motives.
A financial dealer has an axe in a stock that his buyers don't know about, giving him an advantage in making the most profit.
Etymology
From Middle English ax, axe, ex, from Old English æx (“axe”), from Proto-West Germanic *akusi (“axe”), from Proto-Germanic *akwisī (“axe”), probably from a Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʷsih₂ (“axe”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”). Cognate with Scots aix (“axe”), Dutch aks (“axe”), German Axt (“axe”), Danish økse (“axe”), Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk øks (“axe”), Icelandic öxi (“axe”), Swedish yxa (“axe”), Latin ascia (“axe, mason's trowel”).
verb
- 1
To fell or chop with an axe.
- 2
figurativeTo lay off, terminate or drastically reduce, especially in a rough or ruthless manner; to cancel.
The government announced its plans to axe public spending.
The broadcaster axed the series because far fewer people than expected watched it.
He got axed in the last round of firings.
On Wednesday, GSMA, which organises the congress, was forced to admit it would have to axe this year’s event after more than 40 companies pulled out citing health and safety concerns.
noun
- 1
archaicThe axle of a wheel.
Etymology
Derived from French axe, from Latin axis.
verb
- 1
To furnish with an axle.
verb
- 1
Variant of askobsoleteAlternative form of ask.
Axe and it ſhalbe geven you. Seke and ye ſhall fynd / Knocke and it ſhalbe opened vnto you.
I axe you—have I said one word about that little matter to-day?
I axe him to sit down and drink some of my wine, but he says no thanks, he just come to axe me a question.
Etymology
From Old English axian (“ask”); see ax for more.
Forms
- plural
- axes
- past tense
- axed
- past participle
- axed
- present participle
- axing, axeing
- third person singular
- axes
axe · A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
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