English
axe
Axe comes from Middle English ax ‘an axe (tool)’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *akwisī.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*akwisīreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*akusireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150æx
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ax‘an axe (tool)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1975axe
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*akwisīreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*akusireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150æx
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ax‘an axe (tool)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1975axe
Earliest quotation: 1975, Bob Dylan, Tangled Up in Blue: “I had a job in the great North Woods…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp, pointed’
hear, edge, egg, acid, ear, hammer, eager, acute, acne, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acetate, mediocrity, paragon, acupuncture, acacia, exacerbate, acumen, acme, acuity, hark, acyl, acrid, rosacea, acrimony, acerbic, exacerbation, roselle, 72 more
through Old English æx
Another origin of axe
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱs-‘axis, axle’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱs-i-sreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*aksisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaxis‘an axletree of wagon, car, chariot’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentaxe‘axle’
- Englishtodayaxe
Today it means
noun 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.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *akwisī / axe