askance

askance
askance 1520s, "sideways, asquint," of obscure origin. OED has separate listings for askance and obsolete M.E. askance(s) and no indication of a connection, but Barnhart and others derive the newer word from the older one. The M.E. word, recorded early 14c. as ase quances and found later in Chaucer, meant “in such a way that; even as; as if;” and as an adverb “insincerely, deceptively.” It has been analyzed as a compound of AS (Cf. as) and O.Fr. quanses (pronounced “kanses”) “how if,” from L. quam "how" + si "if."
The E[nglish] as is, accordingly, redundant, and merely added by way of partial explanation. The M.E. askances means "as if" in other passages, but here means, "as if it were," i.e. "possibly," "perhaps"; as said above. Sometimes the final s is dropped .... [Walter W. Skeat, glossary to Chaucer's “Man of Law's Tale,” 1894]
Also see discussion in Leo Spitzer, "Anglo-French Etymologies," Philological Quarterly 24.23 (1945), and see OED entry for askance (adv.) for discussion of the mysterious ask- word cluster in English. Other guesses about the origin of askance include O.Fr. a escone, from pp. of a word for "hidden;" It. a scancio "obliquely, slantingly;" or that it is a cognate of ASKEW (Cf. askew).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Askance — A*skance , Askant A*skant , adv. [Cf. D. schuin, schuins, sideways, schuiven to shove, schuinte slope. Cf. {Asquint}.] Sideways; obliquely; with a side glance; with disdain, envy, or suspicion. [1913 Webster] They dart away; they wheel askance.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Askance — A*skance , v. t. To turn aside. [Poet.] [1913 Webster] O, how are they wrapped in with infamies That from their own misdeeds askance their eyes! Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • askance — askew, *awry Analogous words: mistrustfully, distrustfully (see corresponding verbs at DISTRUST): enviously, jealously (see corresponding adjectives at ENVIOUS) Antonyms: straightforwardly, directly …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • askance — [adv] sideways askew, disapprovingly, disdainfully, dubiously, obliquely, sidelong, sideways, skeptically, suspiciously; concepts 581,583 …   New thesaurus

  • askance — ► ADVERB ▪ with a suspicious or disapproving look. ORIGIN of unknown origin …   English terms dictionary

  • askance — [ə skans′] adv. [ME ascaunce; form < ase quances < as(e), AS1 + OFr quanses, how if < VL quam si < L quam, how + si, if; meaning < ME askoin < a , A 1 + skwyn < Du schuin, sideways] 1. with a sideways glance; obliquely 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • askance — [[t]əskæ̱ns[/t]] 1) PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR at n If you look askance at someone or something, you have a doubtful or suspicious attitude towards them. They have always looked askance at the western notion of democracy. 2) PHRASE: V inflects,… …   English dictionary

  • askance — a|skance [əˈskæns, əˈska:ns US əˈskæns] adv [Date: 1400 1500; Origin: Perhaps from Italian a scancio across ] look askance (at sb/sth) if you look askance at something, you do not approve of it or think it is good ▪ A waiter looked askance at… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • askance — [16] The origins of askance remain obscure. When it first entered the language it meant literally ‘obliquely, sideways’ (‘He bid his angels turn askance the poles of Earth’, John Milton, Paradise Lost 1667), so a possible source is Italian a… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • askance — [16] The origins of askance remain obscure. When it first entered the language it meant literally ‘obliquely, sideways’ (‘He bid his angels turn askance the poles of Earth’, John Milton, Paradise Lost 1667), so a possible source is Italian a… …   Word origins

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