ask

In Norse mythology, Ask, along with Embla was an inanimate tree whom Odin blew life into, thus creating the first humans. The God Hoenir gave them a soul, and Lodur gave them warmth and beauty. Ask means ash tree.

ASK is an abbreviation for available seat kilometer. In parallel with the RPK, it is used in judging the size of airlines. Where the RPK measures an airline's actual traffic, the ASK measures an airline's potential traffic: how many RPK's the airline would pull if every airplane were full of paying passengers.

The main drawback with the ASK is that it doesn't give any indication of whether an airline's load factors are good. An airline with a high ASK figure but few passengers could well be driving itself into the ground. However, since the advent of computerized reservation systems like Sabre and Apollo, as well as web sites like Priceline, RPK and ASK figures tend to be fairly close, since most airlines can fill their seats with little difficulty.

See also FTK.

Ask (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Asked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Asking.] [OE. asken, ashen, axien, AS. ascian, acsian; akin to OS. �xc7;scon, OHG. eiscon, Sw. aska, Dan. aeske, D. eischen, G. heischen, Lith. jeskoti, OSlav. iskati to seek, Skr. ish to desire. 5.]

1.

To request; to seek to obtain by words; to petition; to solicit; -- often with of, in the sense of from, before the person addressed.

Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God. Judg. xviii. 5.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John xv. 7.

2.

To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity; as, what price do you ask?

Ask me never so much dowry. Gen. xxxiv. 12.

To whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke xii. 48.

An exigence of state asks a much longer time to conduct a design to maturity. Addison.

3.

To interrogate or inquire of or concerning; to put a question to or about; to question.

He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. John ix. 21.

He asked the way to Chester. Shak.

4.

To invite; as, to ask one to an entertainment.

5.

To publish in church for marriage; -- said of both the banns and the persons.

Fuller.

Syn. -- To beg; request; seek; petition; solicit; entreat; beseech; implore; crave; require; demand; claim; exhibit; inquire; interrogate. See Beg.

 

© Webster 1913.

---

Ask, v. i.

1.

To request or petition; -- usually folllowed by for; as, to ask for bread.

Ask, and it shall be given you. Matt. vii. 7.

2.

To make inquiry, or seek by request; -- sometimes followed by after.

Wherefore . . . dost ask after my name? Gen. xxxii. 29.

 

© Webster 1913.

---

Ask (#), n. [See 2d Asker.] Zool.

A water newt.

[Scot. & North of Eng.]

 

© Webster 1913.