Ass
Pronunciation
- enPR: ăs, IPA: /æs/
- alternative Commonwealth pronunciation in sense of "stupid person" only enPR: äs, IPA: /É‘Ës/
- Rhymes: -æs
- Rhymes: -É‘Ës
Origin 1
From Middle English as, ass, asse, from Old English assa, back-formed from assen ‘she-ass’, from Celtic (compare Old Irish asan, Old Cornish asen), from Latin asinus. Replaced Old English eosol, from Proto-Germanic *asiluz (compare Old High German esil, Old Saxon esil, Gothic ðŒ°ðƒðŒ¹ðŒ»ðŒ¿ðƒ (asilus)).
Full definition of ass
Noun
ass
(plural asses)- Any of several species of horse-like animals, especially , often domesticated and used a beast of burden.
- (slang) A stupid person.Damn! That new kid left the cap off of the syrup bottle again! What an ass.
Derived terms
Origin 2
Used chiefly in North America. From arse (used in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) with loss of -r- before s (common in both England and US; e.g., bass, bust, cuss, passel), from Old English ærs, ears, from Proto-Germanic *arsaz (compare Old High German ars (German Arsch), Old Norse ars, Old Frisian ers), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃érsos (compare Ancient Greek ὄÏÏος).
Noun
ass
(countable and uncountable; plural asss)- (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 68Train 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 bad 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 or person, chiefly their body.Get your lazy ass out of bed!
Usage notes
When used with a possessive, it adds a tone of anger or disapproval to the whole sentence: "he has trouble getting his ass up in the morning" is much stronger and more negative than "he has trouble getting up in the morning". Such usage is also considered by many to be rude, vulgar and offensive, especially when it refers to the person addressed.