English word origin

Etymology of ax

From Middle English axen, aksen, axien, from Old English ācsian and āxian, showing metathesis from āscian. Ax/aks was common in literary works until about 1600.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

Alternative form of ask.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English axen, aksen, axien, from Old English ācsian and āxian, showing metathesis from āscian. Ax/aks was common in literary works until about 1600.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionaxenenm
Inherited-form mentionācsianang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "axen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English axen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ācsian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ācsian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "axen",
      "axen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aksen",
      "aksen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "axien",
      "axien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ācsian",
      "acsian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "āxian",
      "axian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "metathesis",
      "metathesis"
    ],
    [
      "āscian",
      "ascian#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of ask."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "dialectal",
        "nonstandard"
      ],
      "recordId": "3e806a7918301d5765441e94a94c9347e4ff037512efa7599de1e4c281277960",
      "rawRecordSha256": "74537f400c24b5e286ec71f573c98bfa6f6629429c1678f0a5ef455cdbfa15d9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 156837
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ax →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YXg