In common usage, the term axe is used as a synonym for broadaxe, but, in reality, the two tools are different. The axe is a cutting tool consisting of a metal head, equipped with a sharp blade, fixed on a wooden handle that is held with both hands. The edge of the blade is perpendicular to the handle, unlike that of the broadaxe, which is parallel.
The axe was used above all to shape wood or to split it.