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Webster 1913 Edition


Ass

Ass

,
Noun.
[OE.
asse
, AS.
assa
; akin to Icel.
asni
, W.
asen
,
asyn
, L.
asinus
, dim.
aselus
, Gr. [GREEK]; also to AS.
esol
, OHG.
esil
, G.
esel
, Goth.
asilus
, Dan.
æsel
, Lith.
asilas
, Bohem.
osel
, Pol.
osiel
. The word is prob. of Semitic origin; cf. Heb.
ath[GREEK]n
she ass. Cf.
Ease
.]
1.
(Zool.)
A quadruped of the genus
Equus
(
Equus asinus
), smaller than the horse, and having a peculiarly harsh bray and long ears. The tame or domestic ass is patient, slow, and sure-footed, and has become the type of obstinacy and stupidity. There are several species of wild asses which are swift-footed.
2.
A dull, heavy, stupid fellow; a dolt.
Shak.
Asses’ Bridge
.
[L.
pons asinorum
.]
The fifth proposition of the first book of Euclid, “The angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are equal to one another.”
[Sportive]
“A schoolboy, stammering out his Asses' Bridge.”
F. Harrison.
To make an ass of one's self
,
to do or say something very foolish or absurd.

Webster 1828 Edition


Ass

'ASS

,
Noun.
[L. asinus; Gr. an ear.]
1.
A quadruped of the equine genus. This animal has long slouching ears, a short mane, and a tail covered with long hairs at the end. He is usually of an ash color, with a black bar across the shoulders. The tame or domestic ass is patient to stupidity, and carries a heavy burden. He is slow, but very sure footed, and for this reason very useful on rough steep hills.
2.
A dull, heavy, stupid fellow; a dolt.

Definition 2024


Ass

Ass

See also: ass, áss, äss, Äss, ašs, -ass, and

German

Noun

Ass n (genitive Asses, plural Asse)

  1. ace (a playing card)
  2. a person who is extremely good at (at least) one discipline
    Fliegerass
    flying ace
  3. (tennis) ace

Declension

Derived terms


Luxembourgish

Noun

Ass m (plural Assen)

  1. ace, master

ass

ass

See also: -ass, Ass, Äss, áss, äss, and ašs

English

Noun

ass (plural asses)

Somali wild ass
  1. Any of several species of horse-like animals, especially Equus asinus africanus, often domesticated and used a beast of burden.
  2. (slang) A stupid person.
    Damn! That new kid left the cap off of the syrup bottle again! What an ass.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
See also
  • Appendix:Animals
  • Appendix:English collective nouns
Translations

Etymology 2

Used chiefly in North America. Contrary to the widespread belief of this being a euphemism, it arose as a pronunciation spelling (of the older form arse still used in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) that shows the loss of -r- before s increasingly common in all words since the 18th century in both England and its colonies. In the USA, "dropping Rs" (non-rhotic pronunciation) was common in prestige speech until the 1860s, when the American Civil War shifted the country's centers of wealth and political power to areas with fewer cultural connections to the British elite. (See also these similar cases, some of which retained both spellings with different meanings: cuss from curse, gash from garsh, bass from barse, bust from burst, passel from parcel.) From Old English ærs, ears, from Proto-Germanic *arsaz (compare Old High German ars (German Arsch), Old Norse ars, Old Frisian ers), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃érsos (compare Ancient Greek ὄρρος (órrhos)).

Noun

ass (countable and uncountable, plural asses)

  1. (vulgar, slang) Buttocks.
  2. (vulgar, slang, uncountable) Sex.
    I’m going to go down to the bar and try to get me some ass.
  3. (vulgar, slang) Anus.
    • 1959, William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch, page 68
      Train compartment: two sick young junkies on their way to Lexington tear their pants down in convulsions of lust. One of them soaps his cock and works it up the other's ass with a corkscrew motion.
  4. (slang) Used in similes to express something bad or unpleasant.
    I feel like ass today. (I am feeling very bad today.)
    This room smells like ass. (This room smells very bad.)
    What a bunch of ass. (What a bunch of lies/nonsense/disappointment.)
  5. (slang) Used after an adjective to indicate extremes or excessiveness.
    That was one big-ass fish!
    That's an expensive-ass car!
  6. (slang) One's self or person, chiefly their body.
    Get your lazy ass out of bed!
Usage notes
  • When used with a possessive, it adds a tone of anger or disapproval to the whole sentence: "he has trouble getting his ass up in the morning" is much stronger and more negative than "he has trouble getting up in the morning". Such usage is also considered by many to be rude, vulgar and offensive, especially when it refers to the person addressed.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams


German

Verb

ass

  1. Switzerland and Liechtenstein standard spelling of .

Latvian

Vagona ass
Ass

Etymology 1

From Proto-Baltic *as-i-s, from Proto-Indo-European *aḱs-, from *aǵ-es-, from *aǵ- (to move something (with extended arms); armpit). Originally an i/n-stem, it became an i-stem in Baltic. Cognates include Lithuanian ašis, Old Prussian assis, Russian ось (osʹ), Belarusian вось (vosʹ), Ukrainian вісь (visʹ), Bulgarian ос (os), Czech os, Polish , Old High German ahsa, German Achse, Sanskrit अक्षः (ákṣaḥ, axle), Ancient Greek ἅξων (háxōn) (Greek άξονας), Latin axis.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [as]

Noun

ass f (6th declension)

  1. axle (pin or spindle around which something, e.g. a wheel, rotates)
    ratu assaxletree
    vagona ass ― wagon axle
    motocikla pakaļējā riteņa ass ― motorcycle rear wheel axle
  2. (mathematics) axis (a line with certain important properties)
    simetrijas, rotācijas assaxis of symmetry, of rotation
    zemes griešanās ass ― the Earth's rotation axis
    koordinātu asis ― coordinate axes
    abscisu, ordinātu ass ― x-, y-axis
Declension

Etymology 2

From the same source as ass (axle), originally a unit of measurement corresponding to the length of a person's outstretched arms (compare Russian са́жень (sáženʹ, old unit of measurement; length of outstretched arms).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [as]

Noun

ass f (6th declension)

  1. old unit of length in the Russian system, equivalent to approximately 2.13 meters
    jūras assfathom (unit of length in the English system, approximately 1.83 meters)
  2. old unit of volume for measuring wood, equivalent to approximately 2-4 cubic meters
    divas asis malkas ― two axes (=4-8m3) of wood
Declension

Etymology 3

From earlier *asus, from Proto-Baltic *ašus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (sharp, pointed, edgy). With an extra suffix *-ro, the same stem also yielded Proto-Balto-Slavic *aśras (sharp), whence Latvian dialectal asrs, as well as the Lithuanian cognate aštrùs, dialectal ašrùs. From this stem, there are also Latvian reflexes with ak rather than as (e.g., akmens (stone), akots (awn)), possibly a result of Proto-Indo-European dialectal variation. In Latvian, former u-stem adjectives like *asus were assimilated into other classes; *asus gave rise to both an o-stem and a yo-stem variant which later on became independent words, ass and ašs, with different semantic nuances (compare also, e.g., plats and plašs, or dobs and dobjš). Other cognates include Old Church Slavonic остръ (ostrŭ), Russian о́стрый (óstryj), Belarusian во́стры (vóstry), Ukrainian о́стрий (óstryj), го́стрий (hóstryj), Bulgarian о́стър (óstǎr), Czech ostrý, Polish ostry, Proto-Germanic *agjō (Old High German ecka, egga (corner, edge, point, peak, blade), German Ecke, Sanskrit अश्रिः (áśriḥ, corner, edge, blade), Ancient Greek ἀκή (akḗ, point, tip), ἄκρος (ákros, sharp, pointed), Latin ācer (sharp), aciēs (sharpness, blade).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [as]

Adjective

ass (def. asais, comp. asāks, sup. visasākais; adv. asi)

  1. sharp (such that it (blade, tool) can easily cut or pierce)
    ass nazis, zāģis, cirvissharp knife, saw, ax
    ass īlens, ilknissharp awl, fang
    asa adatasharp needle
    asi ragi, ilkņisharp horns, fangs
  2. pointed (having a narrow tip)
    asas kalnu galotnessharp mountain tops
    ass zīmulissharp pencil
  3. angular, not rounded (of body parts; also of writing, drawing)
    asi elkoņisharp elbows
    asi vaigu kaulisharp cheekbones
    asas burtu formas rokrakstāsharp letter forms in handwriting
  4. (of plants) sharp (having little thorns or thorn-like growths, or having a sharp edge, capable of stinging)
    ass dadzis, paeglis, grīslissharp thistle, juniper, sedge
    asa zāle, nātresharp leaf, nettle
  5. (of fabric, skin, etc.) coarse, rough
    asa sejas ādacoarse, rough facial skin
    ass linu dvielis ― towel (made) of coarse linen
  6. sharp, pungent, hot (which irritates the senses, creating a strong feeling or reaction)
    asa mērcespicy, hot (lit. sharp) sauce
    asa dūmu smakapungent smell of smoke
    ass ož pēc hlorasharp smell of chlorine
    ass vējšsharp wind
    asas sāpessharp pain
    ass klepussharp (painful) cough
  7. harsh (voice, sound); sharp, biting, unsparing, fierce
    asā balssharsh voice
    runāt asā tonī ― to speak in a harsh tone (of voice)
    ass sarkasmssharp, biting sarcasm
    ass pārmetumisharp, harsh criticism
    asa ķildafierce quarrel
    asa mēlesharp tongue (= caustic, sarcastic)
  8. sharp, well-defined, clearly marked
    asas kontūrassharp contour, profile
    asi sejas vaibstisharp facial features
    zīmēt asām līnijām ― to draw with sharp, well-defined lines
  9. (about problems, questions) clear, acute, of immediate importance
    asa problēma ― a clear, acute problem
  10. sharp (very well developed, very accurate)
    asa redzesharp vision
    ass prātssharp mind
    asa uztveresharp perception, acumen
Declension
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms

References

  1. 1 2 3 Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), ass”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, ISBN 9984-700-12-7.

Luxembourgish

Verb

ass

  1. is (third-person singular present of sinn)

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish ass, masculine and neuter singular form of a (out of, from), from Proto-Celtic, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (from). Compare Irish as.

Adverb

ass

  1. out

Preposition

ass

  1. out of

Inflection

Singular Plural
Person 1st 2nd 3rd m. 3rd f. 1st 2nd 3rd
Normal assym assyd ass assjee assdooin assdiu assdaue
Emphatic assyms assyds assyn assjeeish assdooinyn assdiuish assdauesyn

Derived terms

Pronoun

ass

  1. 1st person plural of ec
    out of him/it

Derived terms

  • assyn (emphatic)

Old Irish

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /as/

Pronoun

ass

  1. third-person singular masculine of a

Swedish

Noun

ass n

  1. (music) A-flat
  2. an insured letter; Abbreviation of assurerat. (brev)

Declension

Inflection of ass 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative ass asset ass assen
Genitive ass assets ass assens

See also