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On, or to, one side; out of a straight line, course, or direction; at a little distance from the rest; out of the way; apart. Thou shalt set aside that which is full. 2 Kings iv. 4. But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king. Shak. The flames were blown aside. Dryden.

xii. 48. An exigence of state asks a much longer time to conduct a design to maturity. Addison.

Toward one side; in a slanting direction; obliquely. [The shaft] drove through his neck aslant. Dryden.

A small, hooded, poisonous serpent of Egypt and adjacent countries, whose bite is often fatal. It is the Naja haje. The name is also applied to other poisonous serpents, esp. to Vipera aspis of southern Europe. See Haje.

able substance, C4H8N2O3+H2O, found in many plants, and first obtained from asparagus. It is believed to aid in the disposition of nitrogenous matter throughout the plant; -- called also altheine.

æ, and having erect much branched stems, and very slender branchlets which are sometimes mistaken for leaves. Asparagus racemosus is a shrubby climbing plant with fragrant flowers. Specifically: The Asparagus officinalis, a species cultivated in gardens.

The act of looking; vision; gaze; glance. [R.] "The basilisk killeth by aspect." Bacon. His aspect was bent on the ground. Sir W. Scott.

rity; crabbedness; harshness; -- opposed to mildness. "Asperity of character." Landor. It is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received. Johnson.

Mineral pitch, Jews' pitch, or compact native bitumen. It is brittle, of a black or brown color and high luster on a surface of fracture; it melts and burns when heated, leaving no residue. It occurs on the surface and shores of the Dead Sea, which is therefore called Asphaltites, or the Asphaltic Lake. It is found als…

han the horse, and having a peculiarly harsh bray and long ears. The tame or domestic ass is patient, slow, and sure-footed, and has become the type of obstinacy and stupidity. There are several species of wild asses which are swift-footed.

To kill by surprise or secret assault; to murder by treacherous violence. Help, neighbors, my house is broken open by force, and I am ravished, and like to be assassinated. Dryden.

of an attacking force; onset; as, to make assault upon a man, a house, or a town. The Spanish general prepared to renew the assault. Prescott. Unshaken bears the assault Of their most dreaded foe, the strong southwest. Wordsworth.

I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance. Milton.

or body; to bring or call together; to convene; to congregate. Thither he assembled all his train. Milton. All the men of Israel assembled themselves. 1 Kings viii. 2.

agreeing to anything; concurrence with approval; consent; agreement; acquiescence. Faith is the assent to any proposition, on the credit of the proposer. Locke. The assent, if not the approbation, of the prince. Prescott. Too many people read this ribaldry with assent and admiration. Macaulay. Royal assent, in England…

assurance, or plainly and strongly; to state positively; to aver; to asseverate. Nothing is more shameful . . . than to assert anything to be done without a cause. Ray.

The act of asserting, or that which is asserted; positive declaration or averment; affirmation; statement asserted; position advanced. There is a difference between assertion and demonstration. Macaulay.

Asserting that a thing is; -- opposed to problematical and apodeictical.

intaining. Arguments . . . assertory, not probatory. Jer. Taylor. An assertory, not a promissory, declaration. Bentham. A proposition is assertory, when it enounces what is known as actual. Sir W. Hamilton.

To fix or determine the rate or amount of. This sum is assessed and raised upon individuals by commissioners in the act. Blackstone.