axel

¹

[ ak-suhl ]

noun

, Figure Skating.

1. a jump performed by a skater leaping from the front outer edge of one skate into the air to make 1½ rotations of the body and landing on the back outer edge of the other skate.

Axel

²

[ ak-suhl ]

noun

1. a male given name.

axel

/ ˈæksəl /

noun

1. skating a jump in which the skater takes off from the forward outside edge of one skate, makes one and a half, two and a half, or three and a half turns in the air, and lands on the backward outside edge of the other skate

Word History and Origins

Origin of axel¹

First recorded in 1925–30; after Axel Paulsen (1855–1938), Norwegian figure skater, who popularized the maneuver

Word History and Origins

Origin of axel¹

C20: named after Axel Paulsen (died 1938), Norwegian skater

Example Sentences

Her teammate, Wakaba Higuchi — who landed a triple axel in her short and long programs at the Olympics, the first to pull off this feat since Mao Asada in 2014 — is also in contention for a medal.

From FiveThirtyEight

Liu, who won her first senior national championship at age 13 with a triple Axel and a stunning array of other triple jumps, has grown several inches in the past two years and hasn’t been as consistent in landing them.

From Time

Despite being in eighth place after the short program, Hanyu had a weapon that could have propelled him to the medals podium—a quadruple Axel.

From Time

She executed a perfectly balanced short program, which highlighted her elegant and balletic lines as well as her technical prowess with a textbook triple Axel, a triple flip and a triple Lutz-triple toe loop jump combination.

From Time

As Axel, Danielsen Lie explores the virile fragility of male middle age, the way hard-earned confidence and success are never enough to protect your heart.

From Time

Four prisoners, Axel and Oscar (who turned out to be good guys) and Tomas and Andrew (thugs), all died as well.

From The Daily Beast

How did Obama pull off this political equivalent of a triple axel?

From The Daily Beast

Is an Adrian or an Austin more likely to be sensitive; an Axel more of a renegade; an Andrew more of an old-fashioned guy?

From The Daily Beast

From Axel Olrik, though my debt to him is heavy, I find myself differing on several questions.

From Project Gutenberg

And she seemed to like Sir Axel's company—as, indeed, most people would.

From Project Gutenberg

But Sir Axel and his assiduity enhanced her value and buttressed her independence.

From Project Gutenberg

Now Axel Martini had taken part in the “May-combat” this year, and had come off victorious.

From Project Gutenberg

Something tells me that things won't be right between Axel and me again.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Axel

What does axel mean?

An axel is a maneuver in figure skating. The skater leaps from the front outside edge of one skate, rotates 1 ½ times, and lands on the rear outside edge of the other skate.

The axel, also known as the axel jump, is considered the most difficult of the six jumps in figure skating. A tripleaxel, where a skater rotates 3 ½ times, has a starting value of 8 points at the Olympics, compared to the 3.3 points given for a double (2 ½ rotations) axel.

Example: The judges were impressed by the skater’s axel and her perfect landing after completing the spin.

Where does axel come from?

The first records of the term axel come from the 1920s. The jump is named after Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, who introduced the maneuver to figure skating in 1882.

The blade of an ice skate has two edges. To perform an axel, the skater must leap from the outer edge of one skate to the outer edge of the other.

The axel is the only jump in figure skating done while facing forward. The fact that a skater has to land backwards on the opposite foot is part of what makes the move so difficult. Adding spins to create the double and triple axel amplifies the move’s difficulty, and the triple axel is the highest scoring triple jump in Olympic figure skating because it is so difficult to perform.

Today, the axel is a staple of figure skating and the move must be performed successfully as part of an Olympic routine. The triple axel has become part of many of the top men’s figure skater routines.

Did you know ... ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with axel? 

 

• Axel
• double axel
• triple axel
• quadruple axel

What are some words that often get used in discussing axel?

• jump
• figure skating
• toe loop
• loop
• salchow
• flip
• lutz
• Olympics

What are some words axel may be commonly confused with?

 

• axle

 

How is axel used in real life?

Axel is almost always used when talking about or comparing things to figure skating. It is especially common to see it used by fans during the Olympics.

Huge congratulations to Wakaba Higuchi 2020 Worlds Champion and her triple axel

— wakaba? wakaba (@xogwendalsflow) March 11, 2020

you know that moment before the ice skaters do the axel jump? it gives me chills everytime i love it

— h*y (@ADAMPARR1SH) November 15, 2018

I remember back in elementary school, my skating coach really asked if I wanted to attempt a double flip when I didn’t even have my lutz or axel yet 😂😂😂😅💀

— Air Fork Mot 👟 (@buffypoto) January 12, 2020

 

 

Try using axel!

True or False?

When performed correctly, a figure skater will begin an axel facing backwards and land facing forwards.