"A" Word Origins

asinine

Latin

From Latin asininus, "of a donkey" — the same root as ass, the animal known for stubbornness.

ask

Old English

From Old English āscian, of Germanic origin, related to words in Dutch and German meaning "to demand" or "to request."

askance

Origin

Unknown. Possibly from Middle English askances (“as if”), or from Old French a escone (“hidden”) or Italian a scancio (“obliquely”). Compare asquint, Middle English askoyn (“at a slant, askance”), Dutch schuin, schuins (“sideways”), schuiven (“to shove”), schuinte (“slope”).

askant

Origin

Alteration of askance, apparently after aslant.

asked

Origin

A slangy variant born from how "arsed" sounds in casual British speech.

askew

Origin

From a- plus skew.

Askin

Norman

* As an English surname of Norman origin, from a shortened form of the name Asketin, a diminutive of Old Norse Ásketill, from Áskell, see also Haskell. * Also as an English surname, from Askern in Campsall. * As an English and Irish surname, variant of Heskin, Haskin. * As a Turkish surname, variant of Aşkın.

asking

Middle English

From Middle English askinge, askande, from Old English āsciende, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōndī, present participle of Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn (“to ask”), equivalent to ask + -ing.

ASL

English

An initialism with several unrelated expansions; the sign-language sense is the oldest and most widely referenced in writing.

Aslan

Turkish

Borrowed from Turkish Aslan.

aslant

Origin

The adverb is derived from Middle English aslant, aslante (“at an angle, in a curve; from the side; (figurative) deviously”), from on slant (“at an angle, obliquely”), from on (“above and touching (something), on; at (a place or position); etc.”, preposition) (from Old English on, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *an (“on, upon; on to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“on, on to”)) + slant, slante (“incline, slant”, noun) (probably from Old Norse slent, from Proto-Germanic *slintaną (“to slide; to slip”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slide; to slip; to be slick or slippery”)). By surface analysis, a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’ denoting a condition, manner, or state) + slant. The adjective and preposition are derived from the adverb.

asleep

Middle English

From Middle English aslepe, formed from a- ("in, on") plus sleep.

aslosh

Origin

From a- + slosh.

asocial

Origin

From a- + social; in the sense of “antisocial” and as a noun, appears to be a calque of German asozial / Asozialer.

asparagus

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek asparagos via Latin. In some English dialects the word was reshaped by folk etymology into "sparrowgrass."

aspect

Latin

From Latin aspectus, "a look or appearance," from a verb meaning "to look at."

aspen

Middle English

From Middle English aspen, formed from asp (the tree) plus -en.

asperger

Origin · 1940

Named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, who described the condition in the 1940s.

asperous

Origin

From Latin asper (“rough, coarse”) + -ous.

asperse

Origin

From Latin aspersus, past participle of aspergere.

aspersion

Origin

From Latin aspersiōnem, from aspersiō (“sprinkling”).

asphalt

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek asphaltos, meaning "bitumen" — a naturally occurring tar-like substance.

asphyxia

Ancient Greek

Borrowed from Ancient Greek, literally meaning "stopping of the pulse."

asphyxiator

Origin

From asphyxiate + -or.

asphyxy

Origin

Anglicization of New Latin asphyxia.

aspic

Origin

Borrowed from French aspic, from Latin aspis, and possibly influenced by French basilic (“basilisk”). The culinary sense may come from association with the snake due to the traditional colors and cold temperature of aspic, in addition to the fact that the gelatin was often molded in a shape similar to a coiled snake.

aspinwall

Origin

Habitational surname from a minor place in the parish of Ormskirk, Lancashire, from Old English æspen (“aspen”) + wielle (“well, spring”).

aspirate

Latin

From Latin aspirare 'to breathe upon', from ad 'to' and spirare 'to breathe'.

aspiration

Origin

From aspire plus the suffix -ation.

aspire

Latin

From Latin aspirare, literally "to breathe toward" — the idea of reaching or striving toward a goal.

aspirin

German

Originally a German trademark, from a term meaning "acetylated spiraeic acid." The name later became a generic term for the drug in most countries.

ass

Latin

From Old English assa, ultimately from Latin asinus. The insulting sense comes from the donkey's old reputation for stubbornness and slow-wittedness.

Assad

Arabic

From Arabic, literally meaning "the lion."

assail

Origin

From Middle English assailen, from Old French assaillir, assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) + salīre (“jump”). See also assault.

assailant

Latin

From Old French assaillant, from a verb meaning "to attack," ultimately from Latin salire, "to jump."

assassin

French

Traced to Arabic terms linked to a medieval sect and, in popular legend, to hashish users — the word passed into English through French and Italian.

assassinate

French

From assassin plus the suffix -ate, following the pattern of French assassiner.

assassination

Arabic

From "assassinate" plus the suffix "-ion", ultimately from the Arabic term for hashish-users, via medieval tales of killers said to be drugged before their attacks.

assault

Latin

From Old French assaut, going back to Latin ad- ("towards") plus salire ("to jump") — the same root that gives us "assail".

assay

French

From Old French "assai," a trial or test, related to "essai" (attempt) — the same root that gives English "essay".

assemblage

Origin

Borrowed from French assemblage. By surface analysis, assemble + -age.

assemble

Medieval Latin

From Old French assembler, from Medieval Latin assimulare ("to bring together"), from ad- plus similis ("alike") — a doublet of "assimilate".

Assembly

Middle English

From Middle English assemblee, from Anglo-Norman asemblee (Old French asemblee, French assemblée). By surface analysis, assemble + -y.

assemblyman

Origin

A straightforward compound of "assembly" and "man".

assent

Latin

From Old French assentir, from Latin assentiri, from ad- ("to") plus sentire ("to feel, think").

assert

Latin

From Latin assertus, past participle of asserere ("to claim, declare"), from ad- ("to") plus serere ("to join, arrange in a row").

assertion

Latin

From Latin assertio, from assert- (see "assert"), plus the noun suffix "-ion".

assertive

Medieval Latin

From "assert" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-ive", via Medieval Latin assertivus.