Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “as” come from?

as (Middle English) comes from Old French as, from Vulgar Latin *as, from Latin habes, from Arabic حَبَش — Abyssinian; Abysinnian.

as (Middle English): as; ace; The lowest possible throw in dice

Definitions

  1. as; ace; The lowest possible throw in dice

Ancestry of “as”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchasa score of one on a die; second-person singular...
2Vulgar Latin*as—
3Latinhabessecond-person singular present active indicative...
4ArabicحَبَشAbyssinian; Abysinnian

Words derived from “as”

  • whereas
  • ass
  • ace
  • jackass
  • badass
  • whenas
  • dumbass
  • assy
  • asswipe
  • assage
  • tightass
  • asbuilt
  • lardass
  • bigass
  • assless
  • shitass
  • assload
  • asscheek
  • asshead
  • grabass
  • assward
  • assish
  • unass
  • jackassery
Every word from Arabic حَبَش →