Asia

From Middle English Asia, Asie, from Old French Asie and Latin Asia, from Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓σῐ́ᾱ (Ăsĭ́ā), from Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀯𐀹𐀊 (a-si-wi-ja /⁠aswijaː⁠/), in turn probably from Hittite 𒀸𒋗𒉿 (aš-šu-wa /⁠Aššuwa⁠/, “northwest Anatolia”) of uncertain origin. Potentially from an Aegean language family substrate or Akkadian. Possibly a doublet of Assuwa.

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.ʒə/, /ˈeɪ.ʃə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʒə, -eɪʃə

Asia (usually uncountable, plural Asias)

2. The largest continent, located east of Europe (typically delimited by the Urals), west of the Pacific Ocean, north of Oceania and south of the Arctic Ocean.
   • 1669 [1665], John Nievhoff, translated by John Ogilby, An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China‎^[1], London: John Macock, translation of original in Dutch, →OCLC, page 4:

     All Aſia, which the Ancients divide into Aſia the Great and Aſia the Leſs, modern Computors part into five Diviſions, Perſia, the Turkiſh Empire, India, (to which they caſt in the adjacent Iſles) Tartary, and China.

   • 2021 March 15, Jessie Yeung, “These Asian countries are giving dual citizens an ultimatum on nationality – and loyalty”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     “A shift from jus soli to jus sanguinis has been witnessed in Asia in the course of the twentieth century,” wrote Olivier Vonk at the Maastricht Centre in a 2017 paper.

4. (Greek mythology) A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, the wife of the Titan Iapetus, and mother of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius.
5. (Greek mythology) An epithet of Athena.
6. (Greek mythology) One of the Nereids.
8. (astronomy) 67 Asia, a main belt asteroid.
9. A female given name transferred from the place name, of modern usage.
   • 1994, Blake Nelson, Girl: A Novel, Simon&Schuster, →ISBN, page 81:

     And Scott Haskell started going out with this sophomore girl called Asia, who was this rich girl from Weston Heights.

11. (historical) An ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD.

• (continent) Asia Major;
• (Roman province) Phrygia, Roman Asia

• Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia

• (continent): Eurasia, Afro-Eurasia, Earth

• → Pohnpeian: Asia, Eisia, Esia

• Aias, AIAs, aias, IaaS, Saia

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

Asia

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

From Latin Asia, from Ancient Greek Ἀσία (Asía). Compare Italian Asia and Spanish Asia.

• IPA^(key): /ˈazja/

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

• (historical province): From Latin Asia.
• (goddess): From Ancient Greek [Term?].
• (given name): From Turkish Asya, Norwegian Asia and related names, from the Latin. Not related to Russian Ася (Asja).

Doublet of Aasia (“continent of Asia”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑsiɑ/, [ˈɑ̝s̠iɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑsiɑ
• Homophone: asia
• Syllabification^(key): A‧si‧a
• Hyphenation^(key): A‧sia

Asia

1. (historical) Asia, a province of the later Roman Republic and Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC and the 7th century AD.
2. (Greek mythology) the name of several figures called Asia in English:
   1. a daughter of Tethys and Oceanus
   2. one of the Nereids
3. (rare) a female given name from the Turkish and other languages, variant of Aasia, equivalent to English Asia

• Audio:

  (file)

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• asiático

Borrowed from Latin Āsia.

Asia n (proper noun, strong, genitive Asias or Asia)

1. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• Asien

Inherited from Malay Asija, Azia, from Dutch Azië, ultimately from Latin Asia, from Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓σῐ́ᾱ (Ăsĭ́ā).

Asia

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• Azia (1901–1947)

• “Asia”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016
• Morel, Casparus Johannus (1875), “Asia”, in Nieuw Laagmaleisch-Nederlandsch woordenboekje: bevattende de meest in gebruik zijnde woorden en spraakwendingen, ten dienste van hen, die zich op de beoefening van het Laagmaleisch, en der Maleisch-sprekenden, die zich op het Nederlandsch willen toeleggen‎^[3], Zwolle: H. M. van Dorp.
• Kwik Khing Djoen (1923), Kitab Vortaro: Segala Perkatahan-Perkatahan Asing Jang Soeda Oemoem Di Goena Ken Di Dalem Soerat-Soerat Kabar Melayoe [Dictionary Book: all foreign words which are commonly used in Malay newspapers], Batavia: Sin Po, page 20

From Latin Ā̆sia, from Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓σῐ́ᾱ (Ăsĭ́ā).

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.zja/
• Rhymes: -azja
• Hyphenation: À‧sia

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
   • 1348, Giovanni Villani, “Libro primo [First book]”, in Nuova Cronica [New Chronicle]‎^[4], published 1991, III Come si dipartì il mondo in tre parti, e della prima detta Asia.:

     La prima e maggiore parte si chiamò Asia, la quale contiene quasi la metade e più di tutta la terra abitata

     The first and largest part [of the world] was named Asia, which comprises nearly more than a half of all inhabited land

2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)
3. a female given name

• Asia Minore
• asiatico

• saia

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓σῐ́ᾱ (Ăsĭ́ā).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.si.a], [ˈa.si.a]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.s̬i.a]

Note: as in Greek, the first vowel can be found lengthened as a poetic license; compare Ā̆rabia, Ī̆talia.

Ā̆sia f sg (genitive Ā̆siae); first declension

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

First-declension noun, singular only.

• asiānus
• asiāticus
• asius

• Asia in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Asia”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Borrowed from Dutch Azië, ultimately from Latin Asia, from Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓σῐ́ᾱ (Ăsĭ́ā).

• (Literary Standard, Southern Peninsular Malaysia Standard) IPA^(key): [a.si.a]

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ja, -a
• Hyphenation: A‧si‧a

Asia (Jawi spelling اسيا)

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• Indonesian: Asia

• "Asia" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "Asia" at PRPM first version)

Derived from Latin Asia, from Ancient Greek Ἀσία (Asía). The Greek name originally referred to Anatolia and other lands east of the Aegean Sea, and was subsequently used for the Roman province of Asia in western Anatolia before being extended to the continent as a whole.

The name is often connected with Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀯𐀹𐀊 (a-si-wi-ja) and Hittite Aššuwa, the name of a region or confederation in western Anatolia. An alternative proposal connects it with a Semitic word asu, meaning “east” or “sunrise”, but the ultimate origin is uncertain.

Compare Danish Asien, Swedish Asien, German Asien, Icelandic Asía and English Asia.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑː.sɪ.a/
• Rhymes: -ɑːsɪa
• Hyphenation: A‧si‧a

Asia

1. a continent east of Europe, bounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Indian Ocean to the south.
   • 1900, Snorri Sturluson, “Ynglinge-saga”, in Gustav Storm, transl., Norges kongesagaer, volume 1, Kristiania: J. M. Stenersen, page 54:

     Der er skillet mellem de tre verdensdele; østenfor kaldes det Asia, men landene vestenfor kalder nogle Europa, nogle Enea.

     There is the boundary between the three continents; east of it is called Asia, while the lands to the west are called by some Europe and by others Enea.

   • 2005, Erik Lundesgaard, Skikk og bruk:

     i deler av Asia … ansees det som uhøflig å ikke spise opp maten til siste riskorn

     in parts of Asia … it is considered impolite not to finish every last grain of rice

2. (historical) Asia, a province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia.

• “Asia” in Store norske leksikon.
• Demetrius J. Georgacas (1969), “The Name Asia for the Continent; its History and Origin”, Names, volume 17, issue 1, pages 1–90.

Asia

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• Søraust-Asia, Sudaust-Asia

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• asiatic

From Latin Asia, from Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓σῐ́ᾱ (Ăsĭ́ā), from Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀯𐀹𐀊 (a-si-wi-ja /⁠aswijaː⁠/), in turn probably from Hittite 𒀸𒋗𒉿 (aš-šu-wa /⁠Aššuwa⁠/, “northwest Anatolia”) of uncertain origin.

Asia ?

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     Asia is befangen mid...þǣm gārseċġe sūþan ⁊ norþan ⁊ eastan...

     Asia is surrounded by...the southern and northern and eastern sea...

2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

This noun is declined using Latinate endings rather than Old English endings.

• Asya

Learned borrowing from Latin Asia.

Ásia f

1. Asia (a continent)
   • 1373 January 20, Fernán Martís, “Agora leixa o cõto a falar deſto poꝛ deviſar o mũdo ⁊ as pꝛuĩcias del [Now the story stops talking about that to delimit the world and its provinces]” (chapter 362), in Cronica Troiana [Trojan Chronicle], Kingdom of Galicia, translation of Roman de Troie by Benoît de Sainte-Maure (in Old French), →OCLC, manuscript MSS/10233, page 144v:

     […] ⁊ a terra he partida en trs parts. Et a hũa pa- he chamada áſia. Et a outra pa- diꝢẽ Europa. Et a terça poſerõ nõm affrica.

     [ […] et a terra é partida en tres part[e]s. Et a ũa pa[rte] é chamada Ásia. Et a outra pa[rte] dizen Europa. Et a terça poseron nome África.]

     And the earth is divided in three parts. One part is called Asia, another part is called Europe and the third one was named Africa.

• Fala: Asia
• Galician: Asia
• Portuguese: Ásia

• DDGM, “Asia”, “Asya”
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “Asia”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2020–2026), “Asia”, in Vocabulário histórico-cronológico do português medieval [Historical and chronological vocabulary of Medieval Portuguese] (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa

Clipping of Joasia.

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.ɕa/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɕa
• Syllabification: A‧sia

Asia f (diminutive Aśka)

1. a diminutive of the female given name Joanna

• “Asia”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[5] (in Polish)

Asia f

1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of Ásia

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἀσία (Asía).

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.si.a]

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

• IPA^(key): /ˈasja/ [ˈa.sja]
• Rhymes: -asja
• Syllabification: A‧sia
• Homophone: (Latin America) hacia

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Asia

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

Asia f

1. Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
2. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

• (countries of Asia) gwledydd Asia; Affganistan, Armenia, Aserbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhwtan, Brwnei, Cambodia, Casachstan, Catar, Coweit, Cirgistan, Cyprus, De Corea, Dwyrain Timor, yr Emiradau Arabaidd Unedig, Fietnam, Georgia, Iemen, India, Indonesia, Irac, Iran, Israel, Japan, Gwlad Tai, Gwlad yr Iorddonen, Laos, Libanus, Maleisia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Gogledd Corea, Oman, Pacistan, Palesteina, y Philipinau, Rwsia, Sawdi Arabia, Singapôr, Sri Lanca, Syria, Taiwan, Tajicistan, Tsieina, Twrci, Tyrcmenistan, Wsbecistan