An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Achse

by Friedrich Kluge

Achse, f., ‘axle, axis,’ from the equiv. MidHG. ahse, OHG. ahsa, f.; comp. Du. as, AS. eax, f., E. axle (even in MidE. eaxel-tree occurs, E. axle-tree), with deriv. l, like OIc. öxull, m., ‘axle'; Goth. *ahsa, or rather *ahsuls, is, by chance, not recorded. The stem ahsô-, common to the Teut. languages, from pre-Teut. aksâ, is widely diffused among the Aryan tongues; it is primitively related to Sans. ákša, m., Gr. ἄξων, Lat. axis, OSlov. osĭ, Lith. aszìs, ‘axle'; the supposition that the Teut. cognates were borrowed is quite unfounded; comp. Rad. The orig. sense of Aryan akso- remains obscure; with the root ag, ‘to drive,’ some have connected Lat. ago, Gr. ἄγω. See the following word.