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Asked

 - 4 dictionary results

ask

[ask, ahsk]
–verb (used with object)
1. to put a question to; inquire of: I asked him but he didn't answer.
2. to request information about: to ask the way.
3. to try to get by using words; request: to ask advice; to ask a favor.
4. to solicit from; request of: Could I ask you a favor? Ask her for advice.
5. to demand; expect: What price are they asking? A little silence is all I ask.
6. to set a price of: to ask $20 for the hat.
7. to call for; need; require: This experiment asks patience.
8. to invite: to ask guests to dinner.
9. Archaic. to publish (banns).
–verb (used without object)
10. to make inquiry; inquire: to ask about a person.
11. to request or petition (usually fol. by for): to ask for leniency; to ask for food.
12. ask for it, to risk or invite trouble, danger, punishment, etc., by persisting in some action or manner: He was asking for it by his abusive remarks.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME asken, axen, OE āscian, āxian; c. OFris āskia, OS ēscon, OHG eiscōn (G heischen), Skt icchati (he) seeks


asker, noun


1. question, interrogate. 3, 11. sue, appeal. 4. beseech, beg, entreat. 10. See inquire.


1, 10. answer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ask   (āsk)   
v.   asked, ask·ing, asks

v.   tr.
  1. To put a question to: When we realized that we didn't know the answer, we asked the teacher.

  2. To seek an answer to: ask a question.

  3. To seek information about: asked directions.

    1. To make a request of: asked me for a loan.

    2. To make a request for. Often used with an infinitive or clause: ask a favor of a friend; asked to go along on the trip; asked that he be allowed to stay out late.

  4. To require or call for as a price or condition: asked ten dollars for the book.

  5. To expect or demand: ask too much of a child.

  6. To invite: asked them to dinner.

  7. Archaic To publish, as marriage banns.

v.   intr.
  1. To make inquiry; seek information.

  2. To make a request: asked for help.


[Middle English asken, from Old English ācsian, āscian; see ais- in Indo-European roots.]
ask'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to seek information. Ask is the most neutral term: The coach asked me what was wrong.
Question implies careful and continuous asking: The prosecutor questioned the witness in great detail.
Inquire refers to a simple request for information: The committee will inquire how it can be of help.
Query usually suggests settling a doubt: The proofreader queried the spelling of the word.
Interrogate applies especially to official questioning: The detectives interrogated the suspects.
Examine refers particularly to close and detailed questioning to ascertain a person's knowledge or qualifications: Only lawyers who have been examined and certified by the bar association are admitted to practice.
Quiz denotes the informal examination of students: The teacher quizzed the pupils on the state capitals.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ask 
O.E. ascian "ask," from earlier ahsian, from P.Gmc. *aiskojan (cf. O.S. escon, O.Fris. askia, M.Du. eiscen, O.H.G. eiscon, Ger. heischen "to ask, demand"), from PIE *ais- "to wish, desire" (cf. Skt. icchati "seeks, desires," Arm. aic "investigation," O.C.S. iskati "to seek," Lith. ieskau "to seek"). Form in Eng. infl. by a Scand. form of the word (cf. Dan. æske; the O.E. would have evolved by normal sound changes into ash, esh, which was a Midlands and s.w. England dialect form). The variant in modern dialect ax is as old as O.E. acsian and was an accepted literary variant until c.1600. O.E. also had fregnan, frignan which carried more directly the sense of "question, inquire," and is from PIE root *prek-, the common source of words for "ask" in most I.E. languages. If you ask me "in my opinion" is attested from 1910.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

ask

The price at which a security is offered for sale. See also best ask. Compare bid 1. Also called offer.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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