Smiling; characterized by a smile; in a smiling or cheerful expression.
From 'a-' plus 'smile,' where 'smile' has uncertain origins but may come from Scandinavian languages or be related to Old Norse 'smila.' The poetic quality suggests 'asmile' was preferred in emotional descriptions.
Poets loved 'asmile'—it's so much more graceful than 'smiling' or 'with a smile'—and it reveals that English speakers once had these delicate adverbial forms that made writing feel almost musical, a quality we've mostly lost.
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