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axis
1[ ak-sis ]
noun
- the line about which a rotating body, such as the earth, turns.
- Mathematics.
- a central line that bisects a two-dimensional body or figure.
- a line about which a three-dimensional body or figure is symmetrical.
- Anatomy.
- a central or principal structure, about which something turns or is arranged:
the skeletal axis.
- the second cervical vertebra.
- Botany. the longitudinal support on which organs or parts are arranged; the stem and root; the central line of any body.
- Crystallography. crystallographic axis.
- Aeronautics. any one of three lines defining the attitude of an airplane, one being generally determined by the direction of forward motion and the other two at right angles to it and to each other.
- Fine Arts. an imaginary line, in a given formal structure, about which a form, area, or plane is organized.
- an alliance of two or more nations to coordinate their foreign and military policies, and to draw in with them a group of dependent or supporting powers.
- the Axis, (in World War II) Germany, Italy, and Japan, often with Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.
- a principal line of development, movement, direction, etc.
axis
2[ ak-sis ]
noun
axis
1/ ˈæksɪs /
noun
- any of several S Asian deer of the genus Axis, esp A. axis. They typically have a reddish-brown white-spotted coat and slender antlers
axis
2/ ˈæksɪs /
noun
- a real or imaginary line about which a body, such as an aircraft, can rotate or about which an object, form, composition, or geometrical construction is symmetrical
- one of two or three reference lines used in coordinate geometry to locate a point in a plane or in space
- See atlasanatomy the second cervical vertebra Compare atlas
- botany the main central part of a plant, typically consisting of the stem and root, from which secondary branches and other parts develop
- an alliance between a number of states to coordinate their foreign policy
- Also calledprincipal axis optics the line of symmetry of an optical system, such as the line passing through the centre of a lens
- geology an imaginary line along the crest of an anticline or the trough of a syncline
- crystallog one of three lines passing through the centre of a crystal and used to characterize its symmetry
Axis
3/ ˈæksɪs /
noun
- the Axis the alliance of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan, established in 1936 and lasting until their defeat in World War II
- ( as modifier )
the Axis powers
axis
/ ăk′sĭs /
, Plural axes ăk′sēz′
- An imaginary line around which an object rotates. In a rotating sphere, such as the Earth and other planets, the two ends of the axis are called poles. The 23.45° tilt of the Earth's axis with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun causes the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to point toward and away from the Sun at different times of the year, creating seasonal patterns of weather and climate. Other planets in the solar system have widely varying tilts to their axes, ranging from near 0° for Mercury to 177° for Venus.
- Mathematics.
- A line, ray, or line segment with respect to which a figure or object is symmetrical.
- A reference line from which distances or angles are measured in a coordinate system, such as the x -axis and y -axis in the Cartesian coordinate system.
- Anatomy.The second cervical vertebra, which serves as a pivot for the head.
- Botany.The main stem or central part of a plant or plant part, about which other plant parts, such as branches or leaflets, are arranged.
axis
2- An imaginary straight line passing through the North Pole , the center of the Earth , and the South Pole . The Earth rotates around this axis.
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Notes
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Other Words From
- ax·ised [ak, -sist], adjective
- un·axised adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of axis1
Origin of axis2
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Word History and Origins
Origin of axis1
Origin of axis2
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Example Sentences
Like Copernicus’ heliocentric model of the solar system, sometimes revolutions occur by a simple shift in the axis of rotation.
The neuro-endocrine signals involved form the HPA axis, short for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal.
It didn’t cover the entire major axis, because when it got too close to the endpoints, there was only a single point of tangency.
Al-Battani Island’s major axis was 3 miles long, while its minor axis was 2 miles long.
Al-Battani Island’s major axis is 3 miles long, while its minor axis is 2 miles long.
This could shift global media decision-making from its familiar New York-Los Angeles axis to the Bay Area.
Six years later, after one more dance with FDR, Kansans returned to their normal political axis.
For Reagan the “evil empire” was the Soviet Union; for George W. Bush, there was an “axis of Evil.”
The HPA axis is a circuit between your brain, your hormone glands, and the rest of your body.
Seasons on Earth and Titan are both due to the tilt of their axis—the way the North Pole faces—relative to their orbit.
The long axis of the hip-roof crystal is often so shortened that it resembles the envelop crystal of calcium oxalate.
Cassini observed, by the position of certain spots, the revolution of the planet Venus on its axis.
The same would be the case if the polar axis of one sphere stood precisely at right angles to that of the other.
Thus the wide habitability of the earth is an effect arising from the inclination of its polar axis.
On this account the suggested alterations of the axis should not be taken as other than imaginary changes.
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What Is The Plural Of Axis?
Plural word for axis
The plural form of axis is axes, pronounced [ ak-seez ]. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -sis are also formed in the same way, including hypothesis/hypotheses, analysis/analyses, and crisis/crises. A similar change is made when pluralizing appendix as appendices.
Irregular plurals that are formed like axes derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin and Greek.
Be careful: axes is also the plural of ax (and its alternate spelling axe), but in this case it’s pronounced [ ak-siz ].
Do you know: What is the plural of matrix?
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