# askance

> English word · Adverb · IPA /əˈskæns/ · frequency rank #83,982

## Definitions
1. With disapproval, skepticism, or suspicion.
2. Sideways; obliquely.

## Etymology
Unknown. Possibly from Middle English askances (“as if”), or from Old French a escone (“hidden”) or Italian a scancio (“obliquely”). Compare asquint, Middle English askoyn (“at a slant, askance”), Dutch schuin, schuins (“sideways”), schuiven (“to shove”), schuinte (“slope”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/askance