axilla

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin axilla (“side, armpit”). Doublet of axil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ækˈsɪlə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlə

Noun

axilla (plural axillas or axillae)

1. The armpit, or the cavity beneath the junction of the arm and shoulder.
2. (entomology) The area that is located posterior to the transscutal articulation and anterior to the scutoscutellar suture.
3. (botany, uncommon) Alternative form of axil.

Alternative forms

• ascella (Late and Vulgar Latin)

Etymology

Diminutive form of āla (“wing”) (from its earlier form *axla). Compare with similarly formed māla - maxilla.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /aːkˈsil.la/, [äːkˈs̠ɪlːʲä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /akˈsil.la/, [äkˈsilːä]

Noun

āxilla f (genitive āxillae); first declension

1. little wing
2. axilla, armpit

References

• “axilla”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• axilla in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Hymenoptera Anatomy Consortium. http://api.hymao.org/public/ontology_class/show_expanded/883 Accessed on Aug 26, 2024.
• “axilla”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray