ask

ask O.E. ascian "ask, call for an answer; make a request," from earlier ahsian, from P.Gmc. *aiskojan (Cf. O.S. escon, O.Fris. askia "request, demand, ask," M.Du. eiscen, Du. eisen "to ask, demand," O.H.G. eiscon "to ask (a question)," Ger. heischen "to ask, demand"), from PIE *ais- "to wish, desire" (Cf. Skt. icchati "seeks, desires," Arm. aic "investigation," O.C.S. iskati "to seek," Lith. ieЕЎkau "to seek"). Form in English influenced by a Scandinavian form of the word (Cf. Dan. æske; the O.E. would have evolved by normal sound changes into ash, esh, which was a Midlands and s.w. England dialect form). Modern dialectal ax is as old as O.E. acsian and was an accepted literary variant until c.1600. Related: Asked; asking. O.E. also had fregnan, frignan which carried more directly the sense of "question, inquire," and is from PIE root *prek-, the common source of words for "ask" in most I.E. languages (see PRAY (Cf. pray)). If you ask me "in my opinion" is attested from 1910. Asking price is attested from 1755.