Where does “ax” come from?

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

Ancestry of “ax”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicahsōaxle
2Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eḱs-axis, axle
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱs- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ahsō →
ax — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer