- Main Entry:
- 1ass

- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈas\
- Function:
- noun
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Old English assa, probably from Old Irish asan, from Latin asinus
- Date:
- before 12th century
1: any of several hardy gregarious African or Asian perissodactyl mammals (genus Equus) smaller than the horse and having long ears; especially : an African mammal (East asinus) that is the ancestor of the donkey2sometimes vulgar : a stupid, obstinate, or perverse person <made an ass of himself> —often compounded with a preceding adjective <don't be a smart-ass>