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Underarm
Underarm of a male human
Latin	axilla
Gray's	subject #149 585
Artery	axillary artery
Vein	axillary vein
Nerve	axillary nerve, medial cord, posterior cord, lateral cord
Lymph	axillary lymph nodes
MeSH	Axilla
Dorlands/Elsevier	a_76/12171908

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

Contents 1 Boundaries 2 Underarm hair 3 Body odor 4 Cultural significance 5 Terminology 6 Additional images 7 References 8 External links

Anatomically:

• anteriorly: by the pectoralis major, minor, and subclavius muscles.
• posteriorly: by the subscapularis above, and teres major and latissimus dorsi below
• medially: by the ribcage and by the serratus anterior.
• laterally: by the coracobrachialis, the short head of the biceps brachii, and intertubercular groove
• inlet/apex: by the outer border of first rib, superior border of scapula, and posterior border of clavicle
• floor/base: by the skin (visible surface of armpit)

Main article: 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. Recently, many men in the U.S. and Europe have begun to remove underarm hair due to popularization by hairless male models and athletes, and thinking it is embarrassing if they show it when wearing a sleeveless shirt.^{[citation needed]}

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 odour.

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 or maschalophilous.

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.^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Superficial muscles of the chest and front of the arm.	Deep muscles of the chest and front of the arm, with the boundaries of the axilla.	Axillary artery and its branches - anterior view of right upper limb and thorax.	The veins of the right axilla, viewed from in front.
The right brachial plexus (infraclavicular portion) in the axillary fossa; viewed from below and in front.	The left side of the thorax.

• axilla at eMedicine Dictionary