ask

Fraxinus excelsior
Fraxinus excelsior#Translingual

ash tree (Fraxinus spp.), especially, common ash (tree, Fraxinus excelsior)

head

ask c (singular definite asken, plural indefinite aske)

asken (definite singular)
aske (indefinite plural)
ask (indefinite nominative singular)
asken (definite nominative singular)
aske (indefinite nominative plural)
askene (definite nominative plural)
asks (genitive indefinite singular)
askens (definite genitive singular)
askes (genitive indefinite plural)
askenes (definite genitive plural)

From Old Norse askr, from Proto-Germanic *askaz.


ask

I asked her age.

I didn't know the answer so I asked.

(transitive, intransitive) To request (information, or an answer to a question).

I asked her (for) her age.

I’m going to ask this lady (for) directions.

If you want to know, ask her.

(transitive or ditransitive) To request or enquire of (a person).

To request or petition.
To request or enquire of (a person).

to ask for a second helping at dinner

to ask for help with homework

to ask a favour

If you want help, you only have to ask.

Ask, and it shall be given you.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 7:7:

(transitive usually with 'for' or intransitive) To request (an item or service); see also ask for.

Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.

(transitive) To request (someone to do something).

To request or petition.
To request (someone to do something).

She asked to see the doctor.

Did you ask to use the car?

To request permission (to do something).

to ask a question

to ask a riddle

He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 9:21:

To put forward (a question) to be answered.

What price are you asking for the house?

It’s asking a lot of this old car to make it all the way up to Scotland.

But in any Exigence of State, like that they are now pressed with, it certainly asks a much longer time to conduct any Design, for the Good of the Common-wealth, to its Maturity and Perfection.

1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.

Don’t ask them to the wedding.

To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.

Even when the damage isn't that clear cut, the intangible burdens of a bad image can add up. Just ask Dow Chemical.

1990 April 26, Paul Wiseman, “Dark days”, in USA Today:

(figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.

en-verb

ask (third-person singular simple present asks, present participle asking, simple past and past participle asked)

asks (present singular third-person)
asking (participle present)
asked (participle past)
asked (past)
ask (infinitive)

it's better to ask forgiveness than permission

it's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission

never ask the barber if you need a haircut

зада́ть

+ вопро́с (voprós)

From Middle English asken (also esken, aschen, eschen, etc.), from Old English āscian, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- (“to wish; request”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian aaskje (“to ask, demand, require”), West Frisian easkje (“to ask, demand, require”), Dutch eisen (“to demand, require”), German heischen (“to ask, request, implore”), Russian иска́ть (iskátʹ), Sanskrit इच्छति (iccháti) (whence Hindi ईछना (īchnā).

ax

alternative pronunciation until about 1600, now dialectal and no longer standard

African-American Vernacular, Cajun, Nigeria, proscribed


ask

To ask for a gift is a privilege, a wonderful expression of commitment to and ownership of the organization. Getting a yes to an ask can be a rush, but asking for the gift can and should be just as rewarding.

That really does not seem much of an ask.

2022 December 14, Christian Wolmar, “No Marston Vale line trains... and no one in charge seems to 'give a damn'”, in RAIL, number 972, page 46:

I know this is a big ask, but …

Communication researchers call this the foot-in-the-door syndrome. Essentially it's based on the observation that people who respond positively to a small “ask” are more likely to respond to a bigger “ask” later on.

2008, Doug Fields, Duffy Robbins, Speaking to Teenagers:

Answering 'asks' like this is one common way that Tumblr bloggers interact with their followers, so it is in the act of publicly answering these asks that I examine community building practices.

2017, Abigail Oakley, “Supporting one another: Nonbinary community building on Tumblr”, in Isabel K. Düsterhöft, Paul G. Nixon, editors, Sex in the Digital Age, unnumbered page:

The following example from Black Mental Health illustrates an ask from an anonymous follower seeking social support: […]

2018, Lynette Kvasny, Fay Cobb Payton, “African American Youth Tumbling Toward Mental Health Support-Seeking and Positive Academic Outcomes”, in Amanda Ochsner, William G. Tierney, Zoë B. Corwin, editors, Diversifying Digital Learning: Online Literacy and Educational Opportunity, page 168:

Once the number of unanswered Asks in the inbox was over eight thousand, despite us deleting everything accumulated in the inbox once a year.

2020, Lee Brown, “Behind the Scenes of a Popular Trans Youth Resources Tumblr”, in Alexander Cho, Allison McCracken, Indira N. Hoch, Louisa Stein, editors, A Tumblr Book: Platforms and Cultures, page 265:

(Internet) A message sent to a blog on social networking platform Tumblr, which can be publicly posted and replied to by the recipient.


ask

He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask.

(UK dialectal and Scotland) An eft; newt.

We hear of Adder dens, but detailed accounts of the discovery of one are very rare. Service (1902) records that a peatman, when levelling on an estate by the Solway, found in a hole in the ground, some 8 inches below the surface, 40 adders, 10 toads and a large number of asks (lizards).

1951, Malcolm Arthur Smith, The British Amphibians & Reptiles, page 258:

From Middle English aske, arske, ascre, from Old English āþexe (“lizard, newt”), from Proto-West Germanic *agiþahsijā (“lizard”), a compound of *agiz (“snake, lizard”) + *þahsuz (“badger”). Cognate of German Echse (“lizard”).


ask

fo-noun

ask f (genitive singular askar, plural askir)

askar (genitive singular)
askir (plural)
ask (indefinite nominative singular)
askin (definite nominative singular)
askir (indefinite nominative plural)
askirnar (definite nominative plural)
ask (accusative indefinite singular)
askina (accusative definite singular)
askir (accusative indefinite plural)
askirnar (accusative definite plural)
ask (dative indefinite singular)
askini (dative definite singular)
askum (dative indefinite plural)
askunum (dative definite plural)
askar (genitive indefinite singular)
askarinnar (definite genitive singular)
aska (genitive indefinite plural)
askanna (definite genitive plural)

From Old Norse askr, from Proto-Germanic *askaz, *askiz.


ask

ئاسک (Arabic)
ask (definite feminine nominative singular)
ask (definite feminine nominative plural)
aska (construct definite feminine singular)
askên (construct definite feminine plural)
askê (definite feminine oblique singular)
askan (definite feminine oblique plural)
wê askê (definite demonstrative feminine oblique singular)
wan askan (definite demonstrative feminine oblique plural)
askê (definite feminine singular vocative)
askino (definite feminine plural vocative)
askek (feminine indefinite nominative singular)
askin (feminine indefinite nominative plural)
askeke (construct feminine indefinite singular)
askine (construct feminine indefinite plural)
askekê (feminine indefinite oblique singular)
askinan (feminine indefinite oblique plural)

Ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-. Confer Persian آهو (âhu).


ask

European ash (ash tree) Fraxinus excelsior

asken (definite singular)
asker (indefinite plural)
askene (definite plural)


ask

asken (definite singular)
askar (indefinite plural)
askane (definite plural)

From Old Norse askr, from Proto-Germanic *askaz. Akin to English ash.


ask

ask (nominative singular)
askos (nominative plural)
ask (accusative singular)
askos (accusative plural)
askes (genitive singular)
askō (genitive plural)
aske (dative singular)
askum (dative plural)

Middle Low German: esk

Plautdietsch: Asch


ask

ask (nominative singular)
askō (nominative plural)
askōs (nominative plural)
ask (accusative singular)
askā (accusative plural)
askas (genitive singular)
askō (genitive plural)
askē (dative singular)
askum (dative plural)
asku (instrumental singular)
askum (instrumental plural)

desctree

Old English: æsċ
Middle English: asshe
English: ash
Scots: aish, esh
→ English: æsc (learned)

Old Frisian: ask

West Frisian: esk

Old Saxon: ask
Middle Low German: esk
Plautdietsch: Asch

Old Dutch: *ask

Middle Dutch: esk

Dutch: es

Old High German: asc
Middle High German: asche, esche
Cimbrian: ess
German: Esche
Luxembourgish: Esch
Yiddish: אַשבוים (ashboym)
⇒? German: Essen (see there for further descendants)


ask

ask (indefinite nominative singular)
asks (genitive indefinite singular)
asken (definite nominative singular)
askens (definite genitive singular)
askar (indefinite nominative plural)
askars (genitive indefinite plural)
askarna (definite nominative plural)
askarnas (definite genitive plural)

→ Finnish: aski

From Old Swedish asker, from Old Norse askr, from Proto-Germanic *askaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ōs- (“ash”).