An archaic or dialect word for an axis, pole, or the shaft of a cart or vehicle.
From Old English 'eaxl' (shoulder), which also developed into 'axle.' The word originally referred to the shoulder bone as a rotating joint, then transferred to the wooden shaft that rotates in a cart.
This word shows how body parts gave us mechanical terms—just like 'shoulder' of a road or 'eye' of a needle, ancient speakers borrowed anatomy to describe how machines move.
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