ask

'ASK, verb transitive [Gr. In former times, the English word was pronounced ax, as in the royal style of assenting to bills in Parliament. 'Be it as it is axed.']1. To request; to seek to obtain by words; to petition; with of before the person to whom the request is made.Ask counsel of God. Judges 18:5.2. To require, expect or claim.To whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:48.3. To interrogate, or inquire; to put a question, with a view to an answer.He is of age, ask him. John 9:21.4. To require, or make claim.Ask me never so much dowry. Genesis 34:12. Daniel 2:10.5. To claim, require or demand, as the price or value of a commodity; to set a price; as, what price do you ask?6. To require, as physically necessary.The exigence of a state asks a much longer time to conduct the design to maturity.This sense is nearly or entirely obsolete; ask being superseded by require and demand.7. To invite; as, to ask guests to a wedding or entertainment; ask my friend to step into the house.'ASK, verb intransitive 1. To request or petition, followed by for; as, ask for bread; or without for.Ask and it shall be given you. Matthew 7:7.2. to inquire, or seek by request; sometimes followed by after.Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? Genesis 32:29.This verb can hardly be considered as strictly intransitive, for some person or object is always understood.Ask is not equivalent to demand, claim, and require, at least, in modern usage; much less, is it equivalent to beg and beseech. The first three words, demand, claim, require, imply a right or supposed right in the person asking, to the thing requested; and beseech implies more urgency, than ask ask and request imply no right, but suppose the thing desired to be a favor. The French demander is correctly rendered by ask rather than by deman