ace

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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See also: Ace, ACE, aĉe, ače, -ace, and -acé

English[edit]

WOTD – 27 November 2013, 27 November 2014

Pronunciation[edit]

  • enPR: ās, IPA(key): /eɪs/
  • Rhymes: -eɪs
  • Audio (US)
    		(file)
  • Audio (AU)
    		(file)

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English as, from Old French as, from Latin as, assis (“unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage”). Doublet of as. Likely related or deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs.

Noun[edit]

ace (plural aces)

  1. (card games, dice games) A single point or spot on a playing card or die.
    Synonym: pip
  2. (card games, dice games) A card or die face so marked.
    I have the ace of diamonds.
  3. The ball marked with the number 1 in pool and related games.
    • 1961, The Hustler (film): a character is calling his next shot
      Ace in the corner.
  4. A very small quantity or degree; a particle; an atom; a jot.
    • c. 1658 Dr. Henry More, Government of the Tongue :
      He will not bate an ace of absolute certainty.
    • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 6484883, Act IV, page 45:
      I'LL not wag an ace farther: The whole World ſhall not bribe me to it;
  5. (tennis) A serve won without the opponent hitting the ball.
  6. (sports) A single point won by a stroke, as in handball, rackets, etc.
  7. (US) (baseball) The best pitcher on the team.
  8. (US) (baseball, dated, 19th century) A run.
  9. (US) (golf, disc golf) A hole in one.
  10. (sometimes attributive) An expert at something.
    an ace detective
    • 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 4:
      ‘Weston, the ace of theatrical agents.’
    • 2011 September 29, Jon Smith, “Tottenham 3 - 1 Shamrock Rovers”, in BBC Sport‎[1]:
      Mexican ace Dos Santos smashed home the third five minutes later after good work from Defoe.
  11. A military aircraft pilot who is credited with shooting down many enemy aircraft, typically five or more.
  12. (US) A perfect score on a school exam.
  13. Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
  14. (physics, obsolete) A quark.
Usage notes[edit]
  • Used as an exclamation to mean "excellent". But see ace (adjective). Also in plural: aces.
Coordinate terms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • → Italian: asso
  • → Japanese: エース (ēsu)
  • → Korean: 에이스 (eiseu)
  • → Russian: эйс (ejs)
  • → Swedish: ess
  • (?) → Finnish: ässä
Translations[edit]
golf: hole in one — see hole in one
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

ace (third-person singular simple present aces, present participle acing, simple past and past participle aced)

  1. (US) To pass (a test, interviews etc.) perfectly.
  2. (tennis) To win a point by an ace.
  3. (golf) To make an ace (hole in one).
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Adjective[edit]

ace (comparative more ace, superlative most ace)

  1. (Britain, slang) Excellent.
    Synonyms: excellent, first-rate, outstanding
Usage notes[edit]
  • Used as exclamation. Also see ace (noun) above and aces.
Translations[edit]
See also[edit]
Playing cards in English · playing cards (layout · text)
40 Asso di picche.jpg 41 Due di picche.jpg 42 Tre di picche.jpg 43 Quattro di picche.jpg 44 Cinque di picche.jpg 45 Sei di picche.jpg 46 Sette di picche.jpg
ace deuce, two three four five six seven
47 Otto di picche.jpg 48 Nove di picche.jpg 49 Dieci di picche.jpg 50 J di picche.jpg 51 Q di picche.jpg 52 K di picche.jpg Jolly Nero.jpg
eight nine ten jack, knave queen king joker, jolly joker

Etymology 2[edit]

From asexual by shortening.

Adjective[edit]

ace (comparative more ace, superlative most ace)

  1. (slang) Asexual. (not experiencing sexual attraction)
    • 2009, Anneli Rufus, "Asexuals at the Pride Parade", Psychology Today, 22 June 2009:
      "Some people who identify as ace fall under the GLBT umbrella while many others do not. Members of the queer movement have reached out to asexuals to include them in their community. The acronym for this has now become GLBTQA (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and asexual)."
    • 2010, Amy Ebersole, "Asexuality, not to be confused with celibacy", The Daily Aztec (San Diego State University), 25 January 2010:
      “I was 14 when I first realized I had no interest in sex,” Jed Strohm, a happily satisfied, romantic asexual from upstate New York, said. “I identified as ace (asexual) and the group leader said I was too attractive.”
    • 2013, Andrea Garcia-Vargas, "Ourselves, our sex, our choices", The Eye, 28 March 2013:
      “If you identify as ace [asexual] and you just don’t feel like having sex, then for me, sex-positive means, ‘That’s great! It’s fantastic you don’t want to have sex!’” says McGown.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ace.
    Synonym: asexy (slang)
Derived terms[edit]

Noun[edit]

ace (plural aces)

  1. (slang) A person who is asexual.
    • 2012, Tasmin Prichard, "Freedom from Desire: Some Notes on Asexuality", Salient (Victoria University of Wellington), 23 July 2012, page 20:
      Asexuals are programmed differently, like anybody else on the LGBTQXYZ spectrum, but difference is cool! Difference is perhaps the best part of being queer. Own it, aces!
    • 2013, Leigh Miller, "(A)Sexual Healing", Jerk (Syracuse University), Volume XII, Issue V, April 2013, page 23:
      Negativity toward asexuality can make emerging aces fear that something is wrong with them.
    • 2014, Emma Ianni, "New Group to Bring Awareness Of C. U. Asexual Community", The Cornell Daily Sun (Cornell University), Volume 130, Number 81, 4 February 2014, page 1:
      G. F. said she came up with the idea of creating an asexual group last semester, when she was struggling with the way being an ace was affecting her personal life.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ace.

See also[edit]

  • (aromantic): aro

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ace m (plural aces)

  1. (tennis) ace

Further reading[edit]

Indonesian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈat͡ʃə]
  • Hyphenation: acê

Noun[edit]

ace (plural ace-ace, first-person possessive aceku, second-person possessive acemu, third-person possessive acenya)

  1. elder sister in Chinese communities.
  2. a term of address to Chinese woman.

Further reading[edit]

Italian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From the names of vitamins A, C and E, contained in the juice.

Noun[edit]

ace m (plural ace)

  1. (cooking) a flavour of fruit juice, mainly formed by orange, carrot and lemon juice.
    Synonym: ACE

Latin[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

acē

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of aceō

Portuguese[edit]

Noun[edit]

ace m (plural aces)

  1. (tennis) ace (tennis: point scored without the opponent hitting the ball)

Romanian[edit]

Noun[edit]

ace

  1. plural of ac

Scots[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ace (plural aces)

  1. The smallest possible amount of something.
  2. The best of a class of things.

References[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Noun[edit]

ace m (plural aces)

  1. (tennis) ace (point scored without the opponent hitting the ball)
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