Where does “ax” come from?

ax (Middle English) comes from Old English eax, from Proto-Germanic ahsō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱs-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.

ax (Middle English): An axe; An axle, axletree, pole

Definitions

  1. An axe; An axle, axletree, pole

Ancestry of “ax”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englisheaxaxis, axle
2Proto-Germanicahsōaxle
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eḱs-axis, axle
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

Words derived from “ax”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱs- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ahsō →