Dictionary: AS'PI-RA-TING – AS'SA-RON

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AS'PI-RA-TING, ppr.

Pronouncing with a full breath.

AS-PI-RA'TION, n.

  1. The pronunciation of a letter with a full emission of breath. – Holder.
  2. A breathing after; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly of spiritual blessings. – Watts.
  3. The act of aspiring or of ardently desiring what is noble or spiritual.

AS-PI'RA-TO-RY, a.

Pertaining to breathing; suited to the inhaling of air. – Buffon.

AS-PIRE, v.i. [L. aspiro, to breathe. See Aspirate.]

  1. To desire with eagerness; to pant after an object, great, noble or spiritual; followed by to or after; as, to aspire to a crown, or after immortality.
  2. To aim at something elevated; to rise or tower with desire. Aspiring to be Gods, if angels fell; / Aspiring to be angels, men rebel. – Pope.

AS-PIR-ER, n.

One who aspires; one who aims to rise in power or consequence, or to accomplish some important object. – Milton.

AS-PIR-ING, a.

Ambitious; animated with an ardent desire of power, importance, or excellence.

AS-PIR-ING, n.

  1. Ambition; eager desire of something great. – Hammond.
  2. Points; stops. [Not used.] – Herbert.

AS-PIR-ING, ppr.

Desiring eagerly; aiming at something noble, great, or spiritual.

AS-PIR'ING-LY, adv.

In an aspiring manner.

AS-PIR'ING-NESS, n.

The state of being aspiring.

AS-PORT-A'TION, n. [L. asportatio, of abs and porto, to carry; W. porthi, to carry. See Bear.]

A carrying away. In law, the felonious removal of goods from the place where they were deposited, is an asportation, and adjudged to be theft, though the goods are not carried from the house or apartment. – Blackstone.

A-SQUINT', adv. [D. schuinte, a slope; schuins, slopingly; Sp. esquina; D. kant, a corner. See Askance, and Squint.]

  1. To the corner or angle of the eye; obliquely; toward one side; not in the straight line of vision; as, to look asquint.
  2. Not with regard or due notice. – Fox.

ASS, n. [W. asyn; Ir. asan; L. asinus; Fr. âne, for asne; Arm. asen; Sp. Port. asno; It. asino. Qu. from Goth. auso, Gr. ους, an ear.]

  1. A quadruped of the equine genus. This animal has long slouching ears, a short mane, and a tail covered with long hairs at the end. He is usually of an ash color, with a black bar across the shoulders. The tame or domestic ass is patient to stupidity, and carries a heavy burden. He is slow, but very sure footed, and for this reason very useful on rough steep hills.
  2. A dull, heavy, stupid fellow; a dolt.

AS-SA-FET'ID-A, n.

A fetid gum-resin, used as a stimulant and antispasmodic. [See Asafetida.]

AS-SAI, adv. [Ital.]

A term in music; added to a word signifying slow, it denotes a little quicker; and to a word signifying quick, it denotes a little slower. – Bailey.

AS-SAIL, v.t. [Fr. assaillir, from L. assilio, to leap or rush upon, of ad and salio, to leap, to rise.]

  1. To leap or fall upon by violence; to assault; to attack suddenly, as when one person falls upon another to beat him.
  2. To invade or attack, in a hostile manner, as an army, or nation. – Spenser.
  3. To attack with arguments, censure, abuse, or criticism, with a view to injure, bring into disrepute, or overthrow.
  4. To attack, with a view to overcome, by motives applied to the passions. Nor hide the encounter of assailing eyes. – Shak.

AS-SAIL-A-BLE, a.

That may be assailed, attacked or invaded.

AS-SAIL-ANT, a.

Assaulting; attacking; invading with violence.

AS-SAIL-ANT, n. [Fr.]

One who assails, attacks or assaults.

AS-SAIL-ED, pp.

Assaulted; invaded; attacked with violence.

AS-SAIL-ER, n.

One who assails.

AS-SAIL-ING, ppr.

Assaulting; invading by force; attacking with violence.

AS-SAIL-MENT, n.

Attack. [Little used.] Johnson.

AS-SA-PAN'IC, n.

The flying squirrel; an animal which flies a little distance by extending the skin between the fore and hind legs. [See Squirrel.] – Trevoux.

AS'SA-RON, n.

The omer, a Hebrew measure of five pints. – Encyc.