The only attestation of this word is of little help to determine its meaning. The DMF article suggests that the word is used to refer to a small door within a larger one, as can be found in a church entrance or town gate. Behind this must lie the etymological interpretation of the word as a diminutive of us², and this definition is used here as a plausible interpretation, despite the lack of contextual evidence.

In contrast, the juxtaposition of the word to assel and essel can also be found in a passage of Bibbesworth’s Tretiz, where the context and the Middle English glosses suggest that the word should be read as a variant of heesel. The words ussel and heesel are both formally and semantically so similar (they are only differentiated by their etymologies) that it is difficult to truly separate them.

Another option is to read the word as a variant of essele¹, in which case it means 'armpit'.