'axmanship' originates from English, specifically the combination of the word 'axe' and the suffix '-manship', where 'axe' meant 'tool for chopping' and '-manship' meant 'skill or art'.

'axe' changed from Old English 'æx' (also written 'eax') and from Proto-Germanic '*akuz', and eventually became the modern English word 'axe' (also spelled 'ax' in American English); the suffix '-manship' developed from Middle English formations combining 'man' with the abstract noun-forming '-ship', leading to compounds denoting skill (e.g. 'marksmanship'), and together they formed 'axmanship'.

Initially, 'axe' referred only to the physical tool; over time, when combined with '-manship' it evolved into the meaning 'skill in using an axe', which is the current sense of 'axmanship'.