asp

[ asp ]

/ æsp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR asp ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Archaeology. uraeus.

Nearby words

asocial, asoka, asomatous, asonia, asosan, asp, asparaginase, asparagine, asparaginic acid, asparagus, asparagus bean

Origin of asp

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

Related forms

asp·ish, adjective

Definition for asp (2 of 4)

asp

[ asp ]

/ æsp /

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

Definition for asp (3 of 4)

Asp

Biochemistry.

aspartic acid.

Definition for asp (4 of 4)

ASP

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for asp

The Asp (Naja haje) has a less dilatable neck; it is of a greenish colour, and marked with brownish spots.
Reptiles and Birds|Louis Figuier
After the loss of the battle of Actium, Cleopatra killed herself by an asp.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1|The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.
Your first was the Asp, I remember; we will look for the Asp.
Persuasion|Jane Austen
He had the haft in his grip for a quarter-second, then dropped the thing and leaped back as if from an asp.
Dust of the Desert|Robert Welles Ritchie

Man's best friend turns to an asp in his bosom to sting him to the basest of deaths.
Prince Zaleski|M.P. Shiel

British Dictionary definitions for asp (1 of 2)

asp

/ (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 deathSee 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

Word Origin for asp

C15: from Latin aspis, from Greek

British Dictionary definitions for asp (2 of 2)

asp

/ (æsp) /

noun

an archaic name for the aspen

Word Origin for 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

Medicine definitions for asp

Asp

abbr.

aspartic acid