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asta

pole; auction

noun AH-stah Less Common

Origin: Latin hasta (spear, shaft)

Also means

flagpole

Usage Note

Asta covers two distinct meanings: a long pole or shaft (l'asta della bandiera = the flagpole) and a public auction (vendere all'asta). The plural is regular le aste. In the auction sense it often appears in the phrase all'asta (at auction).

Examples

"Il quadro è stato venduto all'asta."

Natural Translation

The painting was sold at auction.

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