This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Oxter!
This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word…
O
xter:
It sounds like a mythological animal that’s a mix of an ox and an otter. But it isn’t. Though, it might be just as smelly. Oxter is actually an antiquated word for your armpit.
Etymology:
Origin Of The Word Oxter
The word oxter can be traced back to the Old English ōxta. And is related to Latin axilla. Which is still used in anatomical terms to mean armpit (as well as the corresponding part in a bird or other animal). With that in mind, it’s also a diminutive of āla ‘wing’.… as well as being related to axis, axle and other ‘turning’ words. [1]
Find A Caboodle
Of Fun & Fancy Words Here.
Endnotes:
[1] “Matters of the Armpit.” Englishirishisms https://irishenglishisms.home.blog/2018/08/19/armpit/
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