ass

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See also -ass, Ass, áss, and äss

English

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Ass

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

enPR: ăs, IPA: /æs/, SAMPA: /{s/
(alternative Commonwealth pronunciation in sense of "stupid person" only) enPR: äs, IPA: /ɑːs/, SAMPA: /A:s/
Audio (US)

(file)
Rhymes: -æs

Etymology 1

From Middle English as, ass, asse, from Old English assa (“male donkey”) and assen (“female donkey”), from probable hypocoristic form of Old Irish asan, which entered the language through the Northumbrian dialect of Old English. The earlier form, from Proto-Germanic *asiluz (“ass, donkey”) appeared as Old English eosol (“ass, donkey”) (compare Old Saxon and Old High German esil (“ass, donkey”), Gothic (asilus, “ass, donkey”)).

The Old Irish word comes from the Latin asinus, from Proto-Indo-European *as- (“donkey”), cognate with the Greek όνος (onos), Dutch ezel (“ass, donkey”), German Esel (“ass, donkey”). The word probably has a Semitic origin, c.f. the Sumerian ansu and Hebrew, (ahton, “she-ass”). The Sanskrit अश्व (aśva, “horse”) (Prakrit assa) may be related.

Noun

ass (plural asses)

Somali wild ass

(zoology) A beast of burden, particularly a donkey.
(slang) A jerk; a mean or rude person.
(slang) A stupid person (passing into Etymology 2)

Damn! That new kid left the cap off of the syrup bottle again! What an ass.

Synonyms

(beast of burden): donkey
(stupid person): fool, idiot

Hyponyms

(beast of burden): donkey, onager, wild ass

Derived terms

wild ass

Translations

animal

Arabic: حمار (ar) (Himaar)
Aramaic:

Syriac: ܚܡܪܐ (ħmārā’) c.

Hebrew: חמרא (ħmārā’) c.
Armenian: էշ (hy) (ēš), ավանակ (hy) (avanak)
Azeri: eşşək (az)
Basque: asto (eu)
Bosnian: magarac (bs) m.
Chinese:

Mandarin: 驢 (cmn), 驴 (cmn) (lǘ), 驢子 (cmn), 驴子 (cmn) (lǘzi)
Chuvash: ашак (aşak)
Czech: osel (cs) m.
Danish: æsel (da) n.
Dutch: ezel (nl) m.
Egyptian: ʽ
Esperanto: (male or female) azeno (eo), (male) virazeno (eo), (female) azenino (eo)
Estonian: eesel (et)
Finnish: aasi (fi)
French: âne (fr) m.
German: Esel (de) m., Eselin (de) f.
Greek: όνος (el) (onos) m., γάϊδαρος (el) (gaidaros) m.
Hungarian: szamár (hu)
Icelandic: asni (is) m.
Ido: (male or female) asno (io), (male) asnulo (io), (female) asnino (io)
Indonesian: keledai (id)

Interlingua: asino (ia)
Italian: asino (it) m., ciuco (it) m., somaro (it) m.
Karachay-Balkar: эшек
Kazakh: есек (kk) (esek)
Korean: 나귀 (ko) (nagwi), 당나귀 (ko) (dangnagwi)
Kyrgyz: эшек (ky)
Latvian: ēzelis (lv) m.
Laz: ეშეღი (ešeḡi)
Macedonian: магаре (mk) (mágare) n.
Norwegian: esel (no) n., asen (no) n.
Occitan: ase (oc) m., asne (oc) m.
Old French: asne m.
Persian: خر (fa) (khar)
Polish: osioł (pl) m.
Portuguese: asno (pt) m., burro (pt) m., jumento (pt) m., besta (pt) f.
Romanian: măgar (ro) m., asin (ro) m.
Russian: осёл (ru) (osjól) m., ишак (ru) (išák) m.
Sicilian: sceccu (scn) m.
Slovak: somár (sk) m., osol (sk) m.
Slovene: osel (sl) m.
Spanish: asno (es) m.
Swedish: åsna (sv) c.
Turkish: eşek (tr)
Vietnamese: lừa (vi)
Volapük: (male or female) cuk (vo), (male) hicuk (vo), (female) jicuk (vo), (male or female offspring, young) cukül (vo), (male offspring, young) hicukül (vo), (female offspring, young) jicukül (vo)

stupid person

Armenian: հիմար (hy) (himar), ապուշ (hy) (a'push), էշ (hy) (ēš)
Basque: astakilo (eu), lerdo (eu), artaburu (eu), kaiku (eu), babu (eu)
Bosnian: magarac (bs) m., magare (bs)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 笨蛋 (bèndàn), 白癡/白痴 (báichī), 智障 (zhì zhàng)
Czech: debil (cs) m., idiot (cs) m.
Esperanto: stultulo (eo)
Finnish: aasi (fi)
French: âne (fr) m., idiot (fr) m., imbécile (fr) m.
German: Esel (de) m., Idiot (de) m., Trottel (de) m.
Greek: γάϊδαρος (el) (gaidaros) m., βλάκας (el) (vlakas) m. and f.
Hungarian: seggfej (hu), segg (hu)
Icelandic: asni (is) m., hálviti (is) m., fífl (is) n.
Interlingua: asino (ia)

Italian: asino (it), idiota (it) m., scemo (it) m.
Macedonian: магаре (mk) (mágare) n.
Norwegian: idiot (no) m., tulling (no) m., dumskalle (no) m., tosk (no) m.
Persian: خر (fa) (khar)
Polish: tuman (pl) m., osioł (pl) m., idiota (pl) m.
Portuguese: burro (pt) m., jumento (pt) m., besta (pt) f., imbecil (pt)
Romanian: măgar (ro) m., idiot (ro) m.
Russian: осёл (ru) (osjól) m.
Sicilian: sceccu (scn) m., scecca (scn) f.
Slovak: somár (sk) m., osol (sk) m., debil (sk) m., magor (sk) m., chruňo (sk) m., chumaj (sk) m.
Slovene: osel (sl) m.
Spanish: burro (es) m., idiota (es), imbécil (es)
Swedish: åsna (sv) c., idiot (sv) c.
Vietnamese: người ngu (vi)

Etymology 2

Used chiefly in North America but also common in Australia. From arse (used in the UK and traditionally in Australia) based on non-rhotic pronunciation (common in both England and US colonies - see bass, bust, and cuss), from Proto-Germanic *arsaz. Cognates include the Old High German ars (German Arsch), Old Norse ars, Old Frisian ers and Ancient Greek ὄρρος (orros). Ultimately from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *orse (“backside, buttocks, butt”).

Noun

ass (plural asses)

(vulgar, slang) buttocks
(vulgar, slang, uncountable) Sex.

I’m going to go down to the bar and try to get me some ass.
(vulgar, slang) anus.
- 1959, William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch, page 68
  
  Train compartment: two sick young junkies on their way to Lexington tear their pants down in convulsions of lust. One of them soaps his cock and works it up the other's ass with a corkscrew motion.
(slang) Used in similes to express something bad or unpleasant.

I feel like ass today (I am feeling very poorly today.)

This room smells like ass. (This room smells very bad.)

What a bunch of ass. (What a bunch of lies/nonsense/disappointment.)
(slang) Used after an adjective to indicate extremes or excessiveness.

That was one big-ass fish!

That's an expensive-ass car!
(slang) One's self, chiefly their body.

Get your lazy ass out of bed!