1. A straight line about which a body or geometric object rotates or may be conceived to rotate.
2. Mathematics
a. An unlimited line, half-line, or line segment serving to orient a space or a geometric object, especially a line about which the object is symmetric.
b. A reference line from which distances or angles are measured in a coordinate system.
3. A center line to which parts of a structure or body may be referred.
4. An imaginary line to which elements of a work of art, such as a picture, are referred for measurement or symmetry.
5. Anatomy
a. The second cervical vertebra on which the head turns.
b. Any of various central structures, such as the spinal column, or standard abstract lines used as a positional referent.
6. Botany The main stem or central part about which organs or plant parts such as branches are arranged.
7. One of three mutually perpendicular lines that define the orientation of an aircraft, with one being along its direction of travel and the other two being perpendicular to the direction of travel.
8. A line through the optical center of a lens that is perpendicular to both its surfaces.
9. One of three or four imaginary lines used to define the faces of a crystal and the position of its atoms.
10.
a. An alliance of powers, such as nations, to promote mutual interests and policies.
b. Axis The alliance of Germany and Italy in 1936, later including Japan and other nations, that opposed the Allies in World War II.
[Middle English, from Latin.]
Axis[ˈæksɪs]
n
(Historical Terms)
a.the. the alliance of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan, established in 1936 and lasting until their defeat in World War II
b. (as modifier) the Axis powers
axis1
nplaxes[ˈæksiːz]
1. (Mathematics) 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
2. (Mathematics) one of two or three reference lines used in coordinate geometry to locate a point in a plane or in space
3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Anatomy the second cervical vertebra Compare atlas [3]
4. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) Botany the main central part of a plant, typically consisting of the stem and root, from which secondary branches and other parts develop
5. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an alliance between a number of states to coordinate their foreign policy
6. (Physics / General Physics) Also called principal axisOptics the line of symmetry of an optical system, such as the line passing through the centre of a lens
7. (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) Geology an imaginary line along the crest of an anticline or the trough of a syncline
8. (Physics / General Physics) Crystallog one of three lines passing through the centre of a crystal and used to characterize its symmetry
[from Latin: axletree, earths axis; related to Greek axōn axis]
axis2
nplaxises
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) 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
[from Latin: Indian wild animal, of uncertain identity]
axis(kss)
Pluralaxes(ksz)
1. 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 Earths 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.
2. Mathematics
a. A line, ray, or line segment with respect to which a figure or object is symmetrical.
b. 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.
3. Anatomy The second cervical vertebra, which serves as a pivot for the head.
4. 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.
axial adjective
axis /kss/ n.axes /ksiz/ 1 a straight line on which points are marked: I drew a horizontal and a vertical axis on a sheet of paper.2 a straight line around which an object turns: The earth rotates on its axis.
ks
s/ n. axes /
siz/ 1 a straight line on which points are marked: I drew a horizontal and a vertical axis on a sheet of paper. 2 a straight line around which an object turns: The earth rotates on its axis. 
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