English

Noun

armpits

1. Plural of armpit

The axilla (or armpit, underarm, or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the joint where the arm connects to the shoulder.

Boundaries

Anatomically, the boundaries are as follows:

The contents of the axilla include the axillary vein and artery, as well as the brachial plexus, lymph nodes and fat.

Underarm hair

Underarm hair usually grows in the underarms of both females and males, beginning in adolescence.

In modern Western culture, it is common for women to remove underarm hair for aesthetic reasons, while men tend to keep it. Throughout the feminist movement, previously in the hippie culture, and in some areas of the punk rock scene, some women choose to keep their underarm hair for a variety of reasons, from subversion to egalitarianism to comfort.

Body odor

Body odor develops in the underarms due in part to the waste products of microorganisms that feed on sebum, the fatty secretions produced by apocrine glands.

A wide variety of deodorant and antiperspirant products are sold for the purpose of mitigating this odor.

Cultural significance

The underarms are among the locations in the human body which are most vulnerable to tickling.

The sexual attraction to the underarms is called axillism.

Terminology

The term oxter, pronounced 'ock-ster' is most often used in Scotland, northern England, and Ireland. Northern Ireland generally replaces all other names of underarm for oxter.

The term "underarm" only refers to the outer surface of the axilla. However, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably in casual contexts.

Colloquially, armpit refers to an object or place which is smelly, greasy or otherwise undesirable.

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