axel
|ax-el|
/ˈæksəl/
figure skating jump
Etymology
'axel' originates from Norwegian, specifically the name 'Axel Paulsen', the 19th-century Norwegian skater after whom the jump is named.
'axel' entered English as the name of the jump performed by Axel Paulsen; the skater's name was adopted directly as the term for the jump and became common in skating vocabulary.
Initially, the word referred specifically to the jump as performed by Axel Paulsen; over time it generalized to denote that type of jump in figure skating irrespective of performer.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a figure skating jump in which the skater takes off from the forward outside edge of one skate, makes one and a half rotations for a single axel (more for double/triple), and lands on the back outside edge of the other skate; named after the skater Axel Paulsen.
She landed a triple axel.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a variant spelling (rare or erroneous) of 'axle' meaning a shaft or bar on which a wheel rotates; primarily seen in some older or nonstandard texts.
Some older texts use axel where modern usage prefers axle.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/05 11:22