asp

[ asp ]

See synonyms for asp on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of several venomous snakes, especially the Egyptian cobra or the horned viper.
Archaeology. uraeus.

Origin of asp

1300–50; back formation from Middle English aspis (taken as plural) <Latin <Greek aspís originally, shield

Other words from asp

aspish, adjective

Other definitions for asp (2 of 4)

asp²

[ asp ]

noun, adjective

aspen.

Origin of asp

before 900; Middle English aspe, apse,Old English æsp(e), æps(e); cognate with Middle Low German aspe,Old High German aspa (German Espe, with altered vowel <Old High German adj. espîn), Old Norse ǫsp; akin to Latvian apse,Russian osína,Czech osika<North European Indo-European *aps-.See aspen

Other definitions for Asp (3 of 4)

Asp

abbreviationBiochemistry.

aspartic acid.

Other definitions for ASP (4 of 4)

ASP

abbreviation

American selling price.
Computers.application service provider: a company that gives individuals or businesses access through the internet to specialized software applications and other computer-related services.: Compare SaaS.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use asp in a sentence

He says also, that he saw many serpents of a much inferior size, and asps and large scorpions.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3) | Strabo
We soon reached a belt of quaking asps where there were few birds.
Birds of the Rockies | Leander Sylvester Keyser
At the same time the poison of asps may come from the lips of a drunkard as from those of a sober liar.
There and Back | George MacDonald
But our smiles end with a sigh when we see that there is not only ignorance, but "the poison of asps is under their lips."
American Missionary, Volume 43, No. 1, January, 1889 | Various
It was a genuine retreat, right at the foot of a tall mountain, embowered in a grove of quaking asps.
Birds of the Rockies | Leander Sylvester Keyser

British Dictionary definitions for asp (1 of 2)

asp¹

/ (æsp) /

noun

the venomous snake, probably Naja haje (Egyptian cobra), that caused the death of Cleopatra and was formerly used by the Pharaohs as a symbol of their power over life and death: See also uraeus
Also called: asp viper a viper, Vipera aspis, that occurs in S Europe and is very similar to but smaller than the adder

horned asp another name for horned viper

Origin of asp

C15: from Latin aspis, from Greek

British Dictionary definitions for asp (2 of 2)

asp²

/ (æsp) /

noun

an archaic name for the aspen

Origin of asp

Old English æspe; related to Old Norse ösp, Old High German aspa

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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