ask

Etymology 1

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”). Compare German heischen, Dutch eisen, Russian иска́ть (iskátʹ), Sanskrit इच्छति (iccháti) (whence Hindi ईछना (īchnā) .

verb

1. (transitive or ditransitive) To request (information, or an answer to a question).
   I asked her age.
   I asked her (for) her age.
2. To put forward (a question) to be answered.
   to ask a question
3. To interrogate or enquire of (a person).
   I'm going to ask this lady for directions.
4. To request or petition; usually with for.
   to ask for a second helping at dinner
   to ask for help with homework
   Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.
5. To request permission to do something.
   She asked to see the doctor.
   Did you ask to use the car?
6. To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
   What price are you asking for the house?
7. To invite.
   Don't ask them to the wedding.
8. To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
9. (figurative) To take (a person's situation) as an example.
   Even when the damage isn't that clear cut, the intangible burdens of a bad image can add up. Just ask Dow Chemical. 1990-04-26, Paul Wiseman, “Dark days”, in USA Today

noun

1. An act or instance of asking.
   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. 2005, Laura Fredricks, The ask
   That really does not seem much of an ask. December 14 2022, Christian Wolmar, “No Marston Vale line trains... and no one in charge seems to 'give a damn'”, in RAIL, number 972, page 46
2. Something asked or asked for.
   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
3. An asking price.
4. (Internet) A message sent to a blog on social networking platform Tumblr, which can be publicly posted and replied to by the recipient.
   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

Etymology 2

table 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”).

noun

1. (UK dialectal and Scotland) An eft; newt.
   He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask. 1876, S. Smiles, Scottish Naturalist
2. (UK dialectal) A lizard.
   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