'axial' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'axis' plus the adjectival suffix '-alis', where 'axis' meant 'axle, line, axis' and '-alis' meant 'pertaining to'.

'axial' changed from Medieval Latin 'axialis' (and related Old French forms) and eventually became the modern English adjective 'axial'.

Initially it meant 'pertaining to or of an axis', and over time it has retained this core sense while being applied across technical fields (anatomy, geology, engineering).