aslant
/əˈslɑːnt//əˈslænt/
aslant adverb: at or on a slant; in a slanting or sloping direction.
_b_525_1.jpg){kind=link}
Adverb
aslant (comparative more aslant, superlative most aslant)
- At or on a slant; in a slanting or sloping direction.
- Take the Handle of it [a chisel] in your Right Hand as you did the Gouge, and claſping the Blade of it in your Left Hand, lean it ſteddy upon the Reſt, holding the Edge a little aſlant over the VVork, […]1680, Joseph Moxon, “Numb[er] XII. Applied to the Art of Turning.”, in Mechanick Exercises, or The Doctrine of Handy-Works, […], volume I, London: […] Joseph Moxon, published 1678, →OCLC, § XII (Of...
- He Fell: The Shaft [of the arrow] that ſlightly vvas impreſs'd, / Novv from his heavy Fall vvith vveight increas'd, / Drove through his Neck, aſlant, he ſpurns the Ground; / And the Soul iſſues through the VVeazon's VVound.1700, [John] Dryden, “The Twelfth Book of Ovid his Metamorphoses, Wholly Translated”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 447
- Synonyms:
- aslope, atilt, diagonally, obliquely
Adjective
aslant (comparative more aslant, superlative most aslant)
- Slanting, oblique.
- Near-synonym: askance
- As for the manner and faſhion of the cut [when pruning grapevines], it ought alvvaies to be aſlant, like a goats foot, that no drops of raine may ſettle and reſt thereupon, but that euery ſhovvre may ſoon ſhoot off: […]1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XVII.] Of Furrowes and Trenches wherein Vines are Planted: Also of Pruning Vines.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the...
- Synonyms:
- askew, aslope, atilt, diagonal, oblique, slanted, nonorthogonal, unperpendicular, askance
- Antonyms:
- nonoblique, orthogonal, perpendicular
Preposition
aslant
- Across or over in a slanting or diagonal direction.
- There is a VVillovv grovves aſlant a Brooke, / That ſhevves his hore [hoar] leaues in the glaſſie ſtreame: […]c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
- […] I have inſerted in Plate 14. at O, vvhere you may perceive in or near vvhat poſition the Chiſſel muſt be ſet to cut the VVork; and hovv the edge of the Chiſſel a b lying aſlant the VVork, […]1680, Joseph Moxon, “Numb[er] XII. Applied to the Art of Turning.”, in Mechanick Exercises, or The Doctrine of Handy-Works, […], volume I, London: […] Joseph Moxon, published 1678, →OCLC, § XII (Of...
aslant meaning in Tamil and Punjabi
aslant in Tamil
- சாய்வாக, பக்கம்நோக்கி, பக்கச்சாய்வாக, குறுக்கே
aslant in Punjabi
- aslant, crooked, oblique, leaning
- ਤਿਰਛਾ tirchā
Examples of aslant in a sentence
- Blovvn all aſlant, a driving daſhing rain, / Peal upon peal redoubling all around, / Shakes it again and faſter to the ground, […]1781 (date written), William Cowper, “Truth”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1782, →OCLC, page 85:
- A pigeon is not easily brought down—the quills are so stiff and strong that the shot, if it comes aslant, will glance off.1878 June, R[ichard] J[efferies], “Some of His Subjects: Dogs, Rabbits, ‘Mice, and Such Small Deer’”, in The Gamekeeper at Home: Sketches...
- A wall with three windows looking out on to the canal ran aslant so that one corner formed a very acute angle, and it was difficult to see in it without very strong light.1914, Fyodor Dostoevsky, chapter IV, in Constance Garnett, transl., Crime and Punishment […] (The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction...
- This time too, […] he was looking aslant and not directly at me; more of a gaze to the side of me.2018, Anna Burns, chapter 3, in Milkman, Minneapolis, Minn.: Graywolf Press, →ISBN:
Synonyms of aslant
Antonyms
Forms of aslant
| Adverb | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more aslant |
| superlative | most aslant |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more aslant |
| superlative | most aslant |
Origin of aslant
The adverb is derived from Middle English aslant, aslante (“at an angle, in a curve; from the side; (figurative) deviously”), from on slant (“at an angle, obliquely”), from on (“above and touching (something), on; at (a place or position); etc.”, preposition) (from Old English on, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *an (“on, upon; on to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“on, on to”)) + slant, slante (“incline, slant”, noun) (probably from Old Norse slent, from Proto-Germanic *slintaną (“to slide; to slip”)). By surface analysis, a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’ denoting a condition, manner, or state) + slant. The adjective and preposition are derived from the adverb.
Words formed from aslant
Words that rhyme with aslant
Questions about aslant
- What does aslant mean?
- Aslant means at or on a slant; in a slanting or sloping direction.
- What is aslant in Tamil?
- Aslant in Tamil is சாய்வாக, பக்கம்நோக்கி, பக்கச்சாய்வாக. See Aslant meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use aslant in a sentence?
- Blovvn all aſlant, a driving daſhing rain, / Peal upon peal redoubling all around, / Shakes it again and faſter to the ground, […]
- What part of speech is aslant?
- Aslant can be an adverb, an adjective or a preposition.
- How do you pronounce aslant?
- Aslant is pronounced /əˈslɑːnt/ (UK).
Words near aslant in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: aslant (page history and authors); aslant (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ਤਿਰਛਾ (Punjabi) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-aslant.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-aslant.wav.
Cite this entry: “aslant.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/aslant. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.