'axlesmith' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'axle' and 'smith', where 'axle' meant 'a shaft on which a wheel revolves' and 'smith' meant 'a worker in metal.'

'axle' changed from Old English word 'eaxl(e)' (meaning 'shoulder' or 'shaft') and 'smith' from Old English 'smið' (meaning 'craftsman'); the compound 'axlesmith' developed as a straightforward compound in Middle/early Modern English and remained largely unchanged into modern English.

Initially, it meant 'a smith who makes or repairs axles,' and this meaning has largely remained the same.