Quote:
Originally Posted by FlorenceArt
...In English, "Tree" and "Shaft" are not synonyms as far as I know...
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They can be, but that usage isn't common in modern English. "Tree" is an old word for shaft of a spear, or of a tool like a spade. The usage also survives (more or less) in compounds like axle-tree, but as cars replaced buggies and carts, "axle" more or less replaced "axle-tree".