Underarm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. Anatomically, the axilla is bound anteriorly by the pectoralis major and minor muscles, posteriorly by the subscapularis and the scapula, medially by the ribcage and by the serratus anterior, and laterally by the coracobrachialis and the short head of the biceps brachii.
Underarm hair usually grows in the underarms of both males and females, beginning in adolescence, though it is common in some societies for women to remove it for aesthetic reasons, while men tend to keep it. Recently many men in the US and Europe have begun to remove underarm hair due to popularization by hairless male models and athletes.
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. The native microorganisms are regarded as an ecoorgan. A wide variety of deodorant and antiperspirant products are sold for the purpose of mitigating this odor.
The underarms are among the locations in the human body which are most vulnerable to tickling.
The term oxter is most often used in Scotland, northern England, and Ireland, though it is rare.
The sexual attraction to the underarms is called axillism or maschalophilous.
Colloquially, armpit refers to an object or place which is smelly, greasy or otherwise undesirable.
