ask
/æsk/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.34 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To put forward (a question) to be answered.
verb
To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
verb
To invite.
Example Sentences
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂isḱéti Proto-Germanic *iskaną Proto-Germanic *aiskaz Proto-West Germanic *aisk Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-West Germanic *-ōn Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn Old English āscian Middle English asken English ask From Middle English asken, axen, 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).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /æsk/
- British English: /ɑːsk/
Usage
Inflected Forms
asks (present, singular)
asking (participle, present)
asked (participle, past)
asked (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
aks (dialectal, first person)
asked (first person, past)
aksed (dialectal, first person)
askest (archaic, present)
asked (past, second person)
askedst (archaic, past)