asper
Rough or harsh; severe, stern, serious.
Adjective
- Rough or harsh; severe, stern, serious.
- An asper sound. - 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted...
Origin
From Middle English aspre, from Old French aspre (modern French âpre), from Latin asper (“rough”).
Forms
Noun human sciences, linguistics
- Rough breathing; a mark (#) indicating that part of a word is aspirated, or pronounced with h before it.
Forms
Derived
Noun historical
- Any one of several small coins, circulated around the eastern Mediterranean area from the 12th to 17th centuries.
- And for ten Aspers you shall daily finde some amongst them, that will give themselves a deepe gash with a Scimitarie, either in their armes or thighes. - 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 40, in John Florio, transl.,...
Origin
From Middle English asper, from Middle French aspre or Italian aspro, both from Ancient Greek ἄσπρον (áspron), from neuter of ἄσπρος (áspros, “white”), from Latin asper (“rough, newly minted”).