asmear

English

Etymology

a- +‎ smear

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈsmɪɹ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈsmɪə/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

Adjective

asmear (not comparable)

1. Smeared over.
   • 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter I, in Great Expectations […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 6:

     So, I came into Smithfield; and the shameful place, being all asmear with filth and fat and blood and foam, seemed to stick to me.

   • 1980, Al Hine, Brother Owl‎^[1], Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Part 5, pp. 283-284:

     The young Isaac, my grandchild, played in the center of the floor, his face asmear, clothing torn and foul.

   • 1995, William Gass, The Tunnel‎^[2], New York: Knopf, page 232:

     A woman asmear with blood stood up, fell softly down, stood slowly up again, wavering like a little flag.

Anagrams

• maraes, samare