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Insight Horizon Media

What does axillary mean in anatomy?

Author

Mia Smith

Published Mar 19, 2026

What does axillary mean in anatomy?

The axilla is an anatomical region under the shoulder joint where the arm connects to the shoulder. It contains a variety of neurovascular structures, including the axillary artery, axillary vein, brachial plexus, and lymph nodes.

What is axillary system?

The body has about 20 to 40 bean-shaped axillary lymph nodes located in the underarm area. These lymph nodes are responsible for draining lymph – a clear or white fluid made up of white blood cells – from the breasts and surrounding areas, including the neck, the upper arms, and the underarm area.

What is the function of the axillary?

The axillary nodes are a group of lymph nodes located in the axillary (or armpit) region of the body. They perform the vital function of filtration and conduction of lymph from the upper limbs, pectoral region, and upper back.

What is the regional term for axillary?

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

Is axillary anterior or posterior?

The axillary apex is the interval between the superior border of the scapula, the posterior border of the clavicle, and the external border of the first rib. The pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi form the major anterior and posterior folds, respectively, of the axilla.

What is axillary nerve?

The axillary nerve or the circumflex nerve is a nerve of the human body, that originates from the brachial plexus (upper trunk, posterior division, posterior cord) at the level of the axilla (armpit) and carries nerve fibers from C5 and C6.

What are contents of axilla?

The main contents of the axilla are the axillary vein and artery, the axillary lymph nodes, with a portion of the brachial plexus and its branches. Brachial plexus – a complex network of nerves formed by the lower cervical and upper thoracic ventral nerve roots, which begins in the neck and extends into the axilla.

Why is axillary nerve called circumflex?

Where is anterior axillary line?

The anterior axillary line is a coronal line on the anterior torso marked by the anterior axillary fold. It’s the imaginary line that runs down from the point midway between the middle of the clavicle and the lateral end of the clavicle.

Where is your axillary nerve?

The axillary nerve derives from the posterior cord of the brachial plexus with the radial nerve, and lies in close proximity to the surgical neck of the humerus. The major branches of the axillary nerve include the lateral cutaneous nerve of the arm and motor branches to the deltoid and teres minor muscles (C5–C6).

What is axillary lymph nodes?

Listen to pronunciation. (AK-sih-LAYR-ee limf node) A lymph node in the armpit region that drains lymph from the breast and nearby areas.