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Inform vs Ask - What's the difference?

inform | ask |

As a verb inform

is (archaic|transitive) to instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge).

As an adjective inform

is without regular form; shapeless; ugly; deformed.

As a noun ask is

amplitude shift keying.

inform

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) informen, enformen, from (etyl) enformer, .

Alternative forms

* (l) (obsolete)

Verb

(en verb)
  • (archaic) To instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge).
  • To communicate knowledge to.
  • * Spenser
    • For he would learn their business secretly, / And then inform his master hastily.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I am informed thoroughly of the cause.
  • To impart information or knowledge.
  • To act as an informer; denounce.
  • To give form or character to; to inspire (with a given quality); to affect, influence (with a pervading principle, idea etc.).
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=(Gary Younge)
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution , passage=WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.}}
  • * Dryden
    • Let others better mould the running mass / Of metals, and inform the breathing brass.
  • * Prior
    • Breath informs this fleeting frame.
  • (obsolete) To make known, wisely and/or knowledgeably.
  • (obsolete) To direct, guide.
  • (archaic) To take form; to become visible or manifest; to appear.
  • * Shakespeare
    • It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes.
    Synonyms
    * acquaint, apprise, notify * (act as informer) dob, name names, peach, snitch
    Derived terms
    * informant * information * informative * informatory * informed * informer * misinform * uninformed

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) (lena) informis

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Without regular form; shapeless; ugly; deformed.
    • (Cotton)

    Anagrams

    *

    ask

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) asken, from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To request (information, or an answer to a question).
    • I asked her age.
  • To put forward (a question) to be answered.
    • to ask a question
  • To interrogate or enquire of (a person).
    • I'm going to ask this lady for directions.
  • * Bible, John ix. 21
    • He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
  • To request or petition; usually with for .
    • to ask for a second helping at dinner
    to ask for help with homework
  • * Bible, Matthew vii. 7
    • Ask , and it shall be given you.
  • To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
    • What price are you asking for the house?
  • * Addison
    • An exigence of state asks a much longer time to conduct a design to maturity.
  • To invite.
    • Don't ask them to the wedding.
  • To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
    • (Fuller)
  • (figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.
  • *
    • Usage notes
    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See * Pronouncing ask as /æks/ is a common example of metathesis and a feature of some varieties of English, notably African American Vernacular English (AAVE). * The action expressed by the verb ask'' can also be expressed by the noun-verb combination ''pose a question'' (confer the parallel in German between ''fragen'' and ''eine Frage stellen ).
    Derived terms
    * ask after * ask around * ask for * ask in * ask out * ask over * ask round * for the asking * no questions asked * outask

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act or instance of asking.
  • * 2005 , Laura Fredricks, The ask :
    • To ask for a gift is a privilege, a wonderful expression of commitment to and ownership of the organization. Getting a yes to an ask can be a rush, but asking for the gift can and should be just as rewarding.
  • Something asked or asked for; a request.
  • * 2008 , Doug Fields, Duffy Robbins, Speaking to Teenagers :
    • Communication researchers call this the foot-in-the-door syndrome. Essentially it's based on the observation that people who respond positively to a small “ask'” are more likely to respond to a bigger “' ask ” later on.
  • An asking price.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) aske, arske, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An eft; newt.
  • * 1876 , S. Smiles, Scottish Naturalist :
    • He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask .
  • A lizard.

    • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * English control verbs English reporting verbs 1000 English basic words ----