Webster's English Dictionary

ask

ask \'ask\ \'as(k)t\ vb or asked;  or ask.ing [ME asken, fr. OE a-scian; 
   akin to OHG eisco-n to ask, L a]eruscare to beg 1a: to call on for an 
   answer  1b: to put a question about  1c: SPEAK, UTTER {~ a question}  2a: 
   to make a request of : BEG  2b: to make a request for {she ~ed help from 
   her teacher}  3: to call for : REQUIRE  4: to set as a price  5: INVITE vi  
   1: to seek information  2: to make a request {~ed for food}  3: LOOK - 
   often used in the phrase ask for trouble K implies no more than the putting 
   of a question; QUESTION suggests the asking of series of questions; it may 
   imply a challenging of truth or correctness; INTERROGATE suggests formal or 
   official systematic questioning; QUERY implies a desire for authoritative 
   information or confirmation or for the resolution of a doubt; INQUIRE 
   implies a searching for facts or for truth often specifically by asking 
   questionsking one's wants known. ASK implies merely the statement of the 
   desire; REQUEST implies greater formality and courtesy and the expectation 
   of an affirmative response; SOLICIT suggests a calling attention to one's 
   wants or desires in the hope of having them satisfied - ask.er n SYN syn 
   QUESTION, INTERROGATE, QUERY, INQUIRE: AS  SYN syn ASK, REQUEST, SOLICIT 
   mean to seek to obtain by ma