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• asp
  asp

  noun

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

  abbreviation

  aspartic acid.
• ASP
  ASP

  abbreviation

  American selling price.

asp

¹ American  

[asp] / æsp /

noun

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

2. Archaeology. uraeus.

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asp ² American  

[asp] / æsp /

noun

1. aspen.

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Asp ³ American  

abbreviation

Biochemistry.

1. aspartic acid.

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ASP ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. American selling price.

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

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asp ¹ British  

/ æsp /

noun

1. 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

2. Also called: asp viper.  a viper, Vipera aspis, that occurs in S Europe and is very similar to but smaller than the adder

3. another name for horned viper

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asp ² British  

/ æsp /

noun

1. an archaic name for the aspen

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aspish
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of asp¹

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

Origin of asp²

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

Example Sentences

The Asp has struggled with dartitis and confidence in the past 18 months but he reached his first Premier League finals night since 2021 last year and was pretty consistent.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

Littler faced Nathan Aspinall in the semi-finals, and unusually probably had the crowd against him with The Asp from nearby Stockport.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2024

This is analogous to a conserved Tyr in ICL2 of several aminergic receptors that also forms a hydrogen bond with Asp.

From Nature • Feb. 13, 2013

“I see Richard Kern has a metal retractable baton, known as the Asp, out,” Officer Maloney said.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2010

Indeed, a day or two before, some of them had communicated with the Asp in a most confident and friendly manner.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 1 by MacGillivray, John

Related Words

• cobra