📖 A — The English dictionary · page 51

asketh — Early Modern English, meaning 1: «asketh» means «asks», a form of «ask».↗ e.g. To ask is to say a question so that you get an answer.↗ Example: When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: 'What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?↗ (Torah DEU.6.20, JPS 1917) · And he commanded the foremost, saying: 'When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying: Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?↗ (Torah GEN.32.17, JPS 1917) · And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: What is this? that thou shalt say unto him: By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage;↗ (Torah EXO.13.14, JPS 1917)

asl — Everyday, meaning 1: ASL stands for American Sign Language, the language of hand signs, faces and body movements used by many Deaf people in the USA and parts of Canada.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (internet slang) «asl» is an old chat question meaning «age, sex, location?» — strangers online use it to find out about you.↗ Example: She is learning ASL to talk with her deaf cousin.↗ · ASL has its own grammar, not the same as English.↗ · In ASL, you can spell names with finger signs.↗ · British Sign Language is different from ASL.↗ · A stranger typed «asl?» in the game chat, so I told my mum.↗ · Never tell strangers online your age or where you live.↗

asleep — Everyday, meaning 1: Sleeping.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Of an arm or leg: numb and tingly because you sat on it too long: «My foot is asleep».↗ Example: The baby is asleep.↗ · I fell asleep during the film.↗ · Shh — Grandpa is fast asleep.↗ · Turn off screens an hour before bed so you fall asleep easily.↗ · My leg went to sleep and now it's tingly.↗ · The cat was sound asleep on the sofa.↗ · Bears are asleep for much of the winter.↗ · Are you still asleep?↗ · And he fell asleep again directly.↗ · Then the Lord awaked as one asleep, like a mighty man recovering from wine.↗ (Writings PSA.78.65, JPS 1917)↗ · But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.↗ (Prophets JON.1.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine, that glideth down smoothly for my beloved, moving gently the lips of those that are asleep.'↗ (Writings SNG.7.10, JPS 1917)↗

asp — Everyday, meaning 1: An asp is a small, poisonous snake, found in hot countries and in old stories.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: A small, poisonous snake.↗ Example: The fox nearly stepped on an asp.↗ · The asp slid quietly across the path.↗ · In the story the asp was clever and could talk.↗ · Their wine is the venom of serpents, and the cruel poison of asps.↗ (Torah DEU.32.33, JPS 1917)↗ · He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him.↗ (Writings JOB.20.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Yet his food in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.↗ (Writings JOB.20.14, JPS 1917)↗ · Their venom is like the venom of a serpent; they are like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ear; (Writings PSA.58.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Their wine is the venom of serpents, and the cruel poison of asps.↗ (Torah DEU.32.33, JPS 1917) · And the fox went on till he nearly fell over an asp who was gliding across the road.↗ (The Brown Fairy Book) · “Well, if you only want them for a short time, perhaps I could manage,” answered the asp; “but I can’t do without them for long.”↗ (The Brown Fairy Book)

asparagus — Everyday, meaning 1: A vegetable with long green, white or purple stalks with pointed tips, eaten cooked.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The plant it grows from.↗ Example: We had asparagus with our dinner.↗ · Asparagus spears grow up from the soil.↗ · Grandad grows asparagus in his garden.↗ · The asparagus season is in late spring.↗ · I tried asparagus soup at school.↗ · Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus.↗

aspect — Everyday, meaning 1: One part or side of a situation, problem or idea that you can think about.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The way something looks or seems from a certain point of view.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The direction a building, room or garden faces, such as a south aspect.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (grammar) A way a verb shows whether an action is finished, ongoing or repeated, as in "I am reading" versus "I read".↗ Example: Safety is the most important aspect of the trip.↗ · We looked at every aspect of the problem before deciding.↗ · The house has a sunny southern aspect, so the garden is warm.↗ · One aspect of being a good friend is listening.↗ · Money was only one aspect of the argument.↗ · The teacher asked us to write about a different aspect of life in Roman Britain.↗ · Plants on the north aspect of the hill grow more slowly.↗ · "I was running" shows the continuous aspect of the verb.↗ · A desert lay spread out before him, whose aspect made his hair stand on end.↗ · His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold; his aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.↗ (Writings SNG.5.15, JPS 1917)↗

aspen — Everyday, meaning 1: An aspen is a tall, thin tree of the poplar family, with round leaves on long, flat stalks that make them shake and flutter in the slightest wind.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Aspen wood is light and soft.↗ Example: The aspen leaves trembled in the breeze.↗ · In autumn, the aspens turned golden yellow.↗ · A whole forest of aspens can grow from one root.↗ · She was shaking like an aspen leaf before her solo.↗ · Beavers like to chew aspen trees.↗ · Aspen bark is pale and smooth.↗ · I shook like an aspen leaf at the sight, and my spirit quaked for fear.↗

asphalt — Everyday, meaning 1: Asphalt is a black sticky material mixed with stones and used to make road surfaces and playgrounds.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To asphalt means to cover a road or area with asphalt.↗ Example: The new road was covered with fresh asphalt.↗ · The asphalt felt hot under our bare feet.↗ · I fell over and scraped my knee on the asphalt.↗ · Workers asphalted the school car park.↗ · Asphalt smells strong when it is being laid.↗

aspirate — Everyday, meaning 1: (speech) To aspirate a sound is to say it with a puff of breath, like the «h» in «hat» or the «p» in «pin».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun, phonetics) An aspirate is an «h» sound or a sound said with a puff of air.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (medicine) To aspirate something is to suck it out with a tube or needle, such as fluid from the body.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (medicine) To aspirate food or liquid is to breathe it into the lungs by accident.↗ Example: In «pin», the «p» is aspirated; hold your hand in front of your mouth to feel the puff.↗ · Some London speakers do not aspirate the «h» in «house».↗ · In Mandarin, «p» is aspirated and «b» is not.↗ · The doctor aspirated fluid from the swollen knee.↗ · Babies can aspirate milk if they are fed lying flat.↗ · Old grammar books call «h» an aspirate.↗ · The two sounds of each letter are the hard and the soft—the aspirated and the softened.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · The two sounds of each letter are the hard and the soft — the aspirated and the softened.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · There were formed seven double letters, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, Resh, Tau, each has two voices, either aspirated or softened.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗

aspire — Everyday, meaning 1: To aspire is to want very much to reach something great, such as a high place, a grand job or a better life.↗ 2) (formal) To aspire to something is to hope to reach it one day.↗ Example: Many girls aspire to be queens in the tales.↗ · The poor boy aspires to a finer life.↗ · She aspires to be a doctor one day.↗ · The little duckling aspired to swim with the swans.↗

aspirin — Everyday, meaning 1: Aspirin is a medicine that reduces pain, fever and swelling.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An aspirin is one tablet of this medicine.↗ Example: Grandpa takes an aspirin every day because his doctor told him to.↗ · Aspirin is not usually given to children.↗ · Never take medicine without asking an adult.↗ · Keep aspirin and other pills out of reach of little children.↗ · Long ago people chewed willow bark, which contains a chemical like aspirin.↗ · She took two aspirins for her headache.↗ · Medicines must stay in a locked cupboard.↗ · Read the label before taking any aspirin.↗

ass — Everyday, meaning 1: An ass is a donkey, an animal like a small horse with long ears.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (rude, informal) Calling someone an ass means they are being stupid or silly.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (rude, US) Ass is a rude word for your bottom, the part you sit on.↗ Example: The farmer loaded the ass with sacks of grain.↗ · Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass.↗ · Balaam's ass saw the angel before he did.↗ · «Don't be such an ass!» said Rat to Toad.↗ · In the fable, the ass wore a lion's skin.↗ · He made an ass of himself at the party.↗ · and threescore and one thousand asses, (Torah NUM.31.34, JPS 1917)↗ · and thirty thousand and five hundred asses, (Torah NUM.31.45, JPS 1917)↗ · Issachar is a large-boned ass, couching down between the sheep-folds.↗ (Torah GEN.49.14, JPS 1917)↗ · Who hath sent out the wild ass free?↗ (Writings JOB.39.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Now the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost.↗ (Prophets 1SA.9.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?↗ (Writings JOB.39.5, JPS 1917)↗

assail — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To assail someone is to attack them violently.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To be assailed by doubts, worries, smells or questions is to have them come at you strongly from all sides.↗ Example: The castle was assailed by enemy troops.↗ · Mole was assailed by the smell of his old home.↗ · She was assailed by doubts before the exam.↗ · Reporters assailed the footballer with questions.↗ · Strange noises assailed them in the dark wood.↗ · The ship was assailed by storms.↗ · Misfortune often assails us from an unexpected quarter.↗ · The floods of Belial assailed me.↗ (Prophets 2SA.22.5, JPS 1917)↗ · The cords of Death compassed me, and the floods of Belial assailed me.↗ (Writings PSA.18.5, JPS 1917)↗

assailant — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal, news and police) An assailant is a person who attacks someone physically.↗ Example: The assailant ran off before the police arrived.↗ · The victim could not see the assailant's face.↗ · Police are searching for the assailant.↗ · The shopkeeper fought off his assailant.↗ · The two assailants were later arrested.↗ · Witnesses described the assailant as tall with a red hat.↗ · He now gave the animals in charge of his friend Abderus, and made such a furious onslaught on his assailants that they turned and fled.↗ · Make passing great Thy mercies, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand from assailants them that take refuge in Thee.↗ (Writings PSA.17.7, JPS 1917)↗

assassin — Everyday, meaning 1: A killer who murders a ruler or an important person, often in secret and for pay.↗ Example: The assassin hid behind the door.↗ · The king feared an assassin.↗ · Rid me of this assassin.↗ · The assassin was caught at last.↗ · Quick as a flash, the Marionette bit the assassin's hand.↗

assassinate — Everyday, meaning 1: To assassinate is to murder an important or famous person, such as a leader, usually for political reasons.↗ Example: The history book tells how a president was assassinated.↗ · Guards protect the king so no one can assassinate him.↗ · The plot to assassinate the leader failed.↗ · In the play, the senators assassinate Julius Caesar.↗ · Police stopped a man who planned to assassinate the minister.↗ · The world was shocked when the leader was assassinated.↗ · The physician, Douban, wishes to assassinate you.↗

assassination — Everyday, meaning 1: An assassination is the murder of an important or famous person, such as a leader, usually for political reasons.↗ Example: The assassination of the archduke helped start a great war.↗ · There was an assassination attempt on the president.↗ · The spy story is about an assassination plot.↗ · The country mourned after the assassination.↗ · Historians study why the assassination happened.↗ · Guards stopped the assassination just in time.↗

assault — Everyday, meaning 1: (law) An assault is a violent attack on a person, or a threat to hurt them; it is a crime.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To assault someone is to attack them violently.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (military) An assault is an attack by soldiers to capture a place.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A strong attack or challenge of another kind: «an assault on the mountain», «an assault on the senses» (very strong sights, sounds and smells).↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To assault someone with words is to attack them with harsh, rude talk.↗ Example: The man was arrested for assault.↗ · Hitting someone can be assault, which is a crime.↗ · The soldiers launched an assault on the fort.↗ · The climbers made their assault on the summit at dawn.↗ · The market was an assault on the senses: colours, smells and noise.↗ · Our PE class did an assault course with ropes and walls.↗ · If anyone hurts you, tell a trusted adult or the police.↗

assay — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A test of a metal or ore to find out how pure it is, or to try something out.↗ The word is old and not common.↗

assemblage — Everyday, meaning 1: A large gathering of people, or a collection of many things brought together, such as a crowd at a feast or a court.↗ Example: A great assemblage of lords came to the feast.↗ · The assemblage cheered the new queen.↗ · Never had there been such an assemblage in the Fish-World.↗