ABAXIAL

Meaning

Of a side that is facing away from the axis or central line, such as the underside of a leaf, or the back of an animal.

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Italic *ap Latin abder. Latin ab-bor. English ab- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-? Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs-der. Proto-Italic *aksis Latin axisbor. English axis Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English axial English abaxial From ab- (“away from”) + axial (“axis”).

Synonyms & Antonyms

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025.