She kept the archaic axletree to preserve the poem's antique sound.
A blacksmith could repair a bent iron axletree.
Fear, not loyalty, was the axletree of the rebellion.
A need for praise was the hidden axletree of her ambition.
Restlessness became the axletree of his sudden plans.
Similar words
shaft
stimulus
axle beam
driving force
pivot
impetus
centerline
spindle
axle bar
prompt
Meanings
Axle beam for a wheeled vehicle
noun
transportation
neutral
The crossbar or axle under a cart, carriage, or wagon, often with rounded ends on which the wheels turn.
Examples
The wagon's axletree split on the rough road.
A blacksmith could repair a bent iron axletree.
The old carriage rested low over its wooden axletree.
Grease kept the wheel from grinding against the axletree.
The museum label described the cart's rear axletree.
Heavy loads put extra strain on the axletrees.
Similar words
axle
axle beam
axle bar
axlerod
crossbar
shaft
Axis or line of turning
noun
literature
literary
A rare literary word for an axis, especially an imagined line around which bodies or spheres turn.
Examples
The poet pictured the heavens moving on one vast axletree.
In the old cosmology, the world seemed to turn upon a hidden axletree.
The passage treats the pole as the axletree of the stars.
His metaphor gave the universe a shining axletree.
The phrase belongs to a time when axletree could still mean an axis.
She kept the archaic axletree to preserve the poem's antique sound.
Similar words
axis
pivot
centerline
spindle
turning line
fulcrum
Stimulus or driving force
noun
literature
literary
A rare figurative use for the impulse or force that sets action going.
Examples
Restlessness became the axletree of his sudden plans.
In the novel, envy is the axletree that turns every plot.
The critic called boredom the axletree of the hero's action.
A need for praise was the hidden axletree of her ambition.
The old phrase treats impulse as an axletree that starts motion.
Fear, not loyalty, was the axletree of the rebellion.
Similar words
stimulus
impetus
spur
motive
prompt
driving force
Etymology
From Middle English axeltre or axiltre, ultimately joining the ideas of an axle and a tree or beam, with Old Norse and Old Icelandic relatives. Merriam-Webster records the word from the 14th century.
FAQ
What does axletree mean?
Axletree usually means the crossbar or axle under an older wheeled vehicle, especially a cart, wagon, or carriage.
Is axletree the same as axle?
Axletree can overlap with axle, but it often points to the older crossbar with terminal spindles used on animal-drawn vehicles.
How do you pronounce axletree?
Axletree is pronounced /ˈæksəlˌtriː/, with the stress on the first syllable.
Can axletree be used figuratively?
A rare literary sense uses axletree for a stimulus or driving force, but ordinary prose normally uses impetus, spur, or driving force.
What is the plural of axletree?
The regular plural is axletrees.
Where does axletree come from?
Axletree comes through Middle English and combines the axle idea with tree in its older sense of a beam or piece of timber.
Comments & contributions
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Hidden Grouse
Jul 9
never knew tree could mean beam, english is weird sometimes
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Placid Gopher
Jul 7
That driving-force meaning is basically a literary fossil. I found it in an 1831 novel sort of joking about the axletree of action, but I would not swap it for motivation in normal writing lol
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Jolly Giraffe
Jun 30
Conestoga wagon notes are actually a nice place to see the word alive: front axletree, rear axletree, hounds, bolster, linchpins. It sits inside that whole running-gear vocabulary, not just as one lonely part name.
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Violet Bunting
Jun 26
The tree bit is not a cute picture of an axle as a tree. its the older beam or timber sense, same reason some old compounds have tree where modern English would just say bar, shaft, or pole.
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Cosmic Weasel
Jun 19
if youre searching old books, try axle-tree too. Old scans and catalogues split it that way pretty often, and some searches miss it if you only type axletree
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Nifty Caribou
Jun 17
I would be careful picturing this like a modern car axle. On old wagons the axletree can be the fixed beam, and the wheel turns on the rounded end with a linchpin holding it in place.