🇺🇸
/ˈæksɪz/
🇺🇸
/ˈæksɪz/
🇬🇧
/ˈæksɪz/
🇬🇧
/ˈæksɪz/
Plural
axes
Axes is the irregular plural of 'axe' (or 'ax'), referring to handheld tools with a heavy, sharp blade mounted perpendicularly on a handle — used for chopping, splitting, or shaping wood, or metaphorically for eliminating something decisively. For example, when a company 'takes the axe to its marketing budget', it means they’re cutting it drastically.
The lumberjack swung his axes to fell the old oak tree.
Ancient warriors carried bronze axes into battle as both weapons and symbols of power.
The committee decided to axe three underperforming departments — the news hit like a blunt axe.
In geometry class, we learned that a 3D shape like a cube has three mutually perpendicular axes: x, y, and z.
She sharpened her axes carefully before heading into the forest to split firewood.
aks
Comes from the Proto-Germanic *akusī (nominative singular) / *akuziz (nominative plural), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- meaning 'sharp' or 'pointed'. This root denotes a cutting tool with a sharp edge, emphasizing function and form. Examples include axe, ax, adze, and (via Greek) acme (originally 'point', 'summit'). Core meaning: 'sharp tool' or 'cutting edge'.