Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

axis, is, m. [kindred with Gr. ἄξων; Sanscr. akshas = axle, wheel; old Germ. Ahsa; mod. Germ. Achse; Engl. axle, Bopp, Gloss. p. 2, a; cf. Aufrecht, Zeitschr. für vergl. Sprachf. 8, p. 71].

  1. I. Lit., an axletree, about which a round body, e.g. a wheel, turns: faginus axis, Verg. G. 3, 172: axes aerii, Vulg. 3 Reg. 7, 30; 7, 33: axis versatilis, ib. Eccli. 33, 5 al.
    Meton. (pars pro toto), a chariot, car, wagon, Ov. M. 2, 59; id. H. 4, 160; Sen. Herc. Oet. 1442; Sil. 16, 360 al.
    Plur., Ov. M. 2, 148; 4, 634.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. The axle of a water-clock, Vitr. 9, 6.
    2. B. The axis of the earth: mundum versari circum axem caeli, Cic. N. D. 1, 20, 52; so id. Ac. 2, 39, 123; id. Tim. 10; Lucr. 6, 1107.
      Hence, meton.
        1. a. The pole, Luc. 7, 422: axis inocciduus, id. 8, 175: meridianus, Vitr. 6, 1.
        2. b. Esp., the north pole, Lucr. 6, 720; Cic. Tusc. 1, 28, 68; Verg. G. 2, 271; 3, 351; Ov. P. 4, 7, 2; Manil. 4, 589.
        3. c. The whole heavens: maximus Atlas Axem umero torquet stellis ardentibus aptum, Verg. A. 4, 482; 6, 536; Ov. M. 1, 255; 2, 75; 2, 297; 6, 175; id. Tr. 1, 2, 46; Stat. Th. 5, 86; id. S. 3, 3, 76 al.
          Hence, sub axe, under the open heaven, Verg. A. 2, 512; 8, 28.
        4. d. A region of the heavens, a clime: boreus, the north, Ov. Tr. 4, 8, 41: hesperius, the west, id. M. 4, 214; Luc. 3, 359.
    3. C. A pin or hook on which a hinge turns, Stat. Th. 1, 346.
    4. D. The valve of a pipe, Vitr. 10, 12.
    5. E. Axes volutarum, in archit., the axes of a volute, Vitr. 3, 3.
  3. F. A board, plank, Caes. B. C. 2, 9; Vitr. 4, 2; 7, 1; Col. 6, 30, 2; Plin. 36, 25, 62, § 187; Luc. 3, 455; Gell. 2, 12 al.
  4. G. An unknown wild animal in India, Plin. 8, 21, 31, § 76.