oxter

Etymology

Apparently traced to Middle English *oxtere, *oxte, which came from Old English ōxta, ōhsta. This is related to Old English ōxn (“armpit”), Old English eax (“axis, axle”), and eaxl (“shoulder”), from Proto-West Germanic *ahslu (“shoulder”), from Proto-Germanic *ahslō (“joint of the shoulder”), and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- (“axis, axle”). See also axis and axon.