Meanings
plural askals
- A variety of mongrel free-ranging dog found in the Philippines.
They had three ferocious dogs, also askals, who were notorious for chasing after people who passed by the house.
2023, Bong Serrano, “All Dogs Go to Heaven”, in Batangas: My Sky and Earth: An Intimate Recollection and Reflection of My Childhood in the Philippines, Altona, Man.: FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 3123 more examples
Two askals in a fuck-lock at the foot of the steps to St. Joseph, standing side by side as if they just happened to stand side by side.
2002, Ricardo M. de Ungria, “Sagada”, in Ramon Sunico, editor, Love Gathers All: The Philippines-Singapore Anthology of Love Poetry, Manila: Anvil Publishing; Singapore: Ethos Books, →ISBN, page 136Figaro, the pup with long white hair like a sheep dog, was deeply asleep. Fabio, his dark-colored twin that looked like an ordinary askal, lapped softly and gratefully at my hand.
2008, Sassa Ramos, “A Cold Wind”, in Bing Ramos, editor, True Philippine Ghost Stories, volume 23, Quezon City: PSICOM Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 75Humans can be seen in the process of diversification as they span differentials from the dark to the white race, which is part of a natural law that distinguishes a bulldog from an askal.
2021, Kristian Joseph Factora, “Life”, in The Tech Diary: From Stone to Smartphone, chapter II (Evolution), page 97Synonyms: aspin
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA variety of mongrel free-ranging dog found in the Philippines.
Origin
- Tagalogaskal
- Englishaskal
From Tagalog askal, a blend of aso (“dog”) + kalye (“street”).
More words from Tagalog
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
askal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/askal
“askal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/askal. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “askal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/askal.
Source: askal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.