Axilla
/ækˈsɪlə/noun
The hollow under the arm where the arm joins the shoulder.
Did you know?Axilla comes from Latin *axilla*, a diminutive form linked to *ala* (“wing”), so the underarm was imagined as a little wing-like hollow on the side of the body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*aks-
“to bend or be crooked”
Latin
Latin
ala
“wing”
Latin
Latin
axilla
“armpit; literally, a small wing or side hollow”
Late Latin
Latin
axilla
“armpit”
Middle English
English
axille / axillea
“armpit”
Modern English
English
axilla
“the armpit”
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