ase
/eɪs/
noun
Origin
Latin
as — a unit of weight or a coin
Overview
Meaning Now
- A former coin of the Roman Republic, originally made of bronze.
Literal older meaning
one, unity
Language path
Latin → English
Earliest form
as
Earliest period
3rd century BCE
Journey
The 'as' began as a heavy cast bronze ingot (aes grave) in early Rome before being minted as a standardized circular coin. It served as the fundamental unit of the Roman monetary system and was typically divided into twelve ounces (unciae).
Evolution
- 3rd century BCE
as
“bronze bar or coin”
Original weight unit of 12 unciae.
- Classical Latin
as
“the basic unit of Roman currency”
- Early Modern English
ase
“archaic spelling of the Roman unit”
Connections
Word parts
as
root
unit of weight
Related across languages
Italian
asse
axis/axle (different etymological root but spelling similarity)
Explore next
Related to ase
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.