ASS


Meaning of ASS in English

I. ˈas, ˈaa(ə)s, ˈais also ˈȧs in NE & Brit especially (in Brit at least) in sense 2 noun

( -es )

Etymology: Middle English asse, from Old English assa, perhaps from Old Irish asan, from Latin asinus, probably from a language of Asia Minor; akin to the source of Greek onos ass

1. : any of several mammals of the genus Equus that are smaller than the horse, with a shorter mane and shorter hair on the tail, with long ears, and without callosities on the inner surface of the hind limbs, that are hardy and gregarious sure-footed natives of Asia and No. Africa, and of which one species ( E. asinus ) is the domestic ass, a rugged, patient, but somewhat stubborn beast of burden, made a popular symbol of obstinacy and stupidity — see kiang , mule

2. : one that is utterly silly : a simple-minded fool often marked by stubbornness or stolidity

when they make asses of themselves they do it in the grand style — Leonard Bacon

II. intransitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-es )

: to act like an ass : play the ass

assing along … as though we were still back in the nineteen-twenties — Margery Allingham

III. ˈas

Scotland

variant of ash III

IV. noun

or arse in the US ˈas, ˈaa(ə)s, ˈais also ˈȧs, and sometimes ˈärs euphemistically by speakers who have preconsonantal r and who are aware that there is a spelling “arse”; ˈȧs in standard Brit and ˈȧ(r)s or ˈärs or ˈārs or ˈers in Brit and Scot dialect; in the US the pronunc ˈȧs occurs chiefly in NE and is there prob more often associated with the spelling “ass” than with “arse”

( -es )

Etymology: Middle English ars, ers, from Old English ærs, ears; akin to Old High German & Old Norse ars buttocks, Greek orrhos, Armenian oṙ, Hittite arraš, Old Irish err tail

1.

a. : buttocks, rump — often considered vulgar

b. : anus — often considered vulgar

2. dialect Britain : the lower or rear end of anything : bottom

3. : sexual intercourse — usually considered vulgar

V. abbreviation

1. assembly

2. assistant

3. association

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.