Meanings
plural axletrees
- A spindle or axle of a wheel.
- A stimulus or driving force.
Soon after his arrival, that patent axletree of action, the not knowing what to do with himself, domesticated him during some weeks of the shooting season at Sillery House...
1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter X, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 80
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA bar or beam of wood or iron, connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage, on the ends of which the wheels revolve.
Origin
- Middle Englishaxiltre
- Englishaxletree
From Middle English axiltre; equivalent to axle + tree. Cognate with Icelandic öxultré.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish akseli
- akseliA rod connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage
French essieu
- essieuA rod connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage
German Achse
- AchseA rod connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage
Irish fearsaid
- fearsaidA rod connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage
Polish wał osiowy
- wał osiowyA rod connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage
Scottish Gaelic aisil
- aisilA rod connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage
Cite this entry
axletree. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/axletree
“axletree.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/axletree. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “axletree,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/axletree.
Source: axletree on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.