asper

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæspə/

Etymology 1

From Old French aspre (modern âpre), from Latin asper (“rough”).

Alternative forms

• aspre

Adjective

asper (comparative more asper, superlative most asper)

1. Rough or harsh; severe, stern, serious.
   • Francis Bacon

     An asper sound.

Noun

asper (uncountable)

1. (phonetics) Rough breathing; a mark (#) indicating that part of a word is aspirated, or pronounced with h before it.

Etymology 2

Middle English, from Middle French aspre or Italian aspro, both from Ancient Greek ἄσπρον (aspron), from neuter of ἄσπρος (aspros, “white”), from Latin asper (“rough, newly minted”)

Alternative forms

• aspron

Noun

asper (plural aspers)

1. (historical) Any one of several small coins, circulated around the eastern Mediterranean area from the 12th to 17th centuries.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, I.40:

     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.

Anagrams

• apers, apres, après, aprés, pares, parse, pears, præs., rapes, reaps, RESPA, sarpe, spare, spear

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Latin

Etymology

Unknown origin.

Adjective

asper m (feminine aspera, neuter asperum); first/second declension

1. rough, uneven, coarse, unrefined, rude, sharp, newly minted

Inflection

Number	Singular				Plural
Case \ Gender	M.	F.	N.		MM.	FF.	NN.
nominative	asper	aspera	asperum		asperī	asperae	aspera
genitive	asperī	asperae	asperī		asperōrum	asperārum	asperōrum
dative	asperō	asperae	asperō		asperīs	asperīs	asperīs
accusative	asperum	asperam	asperum		asperōs	asperās	aspera
ablative	asperō	asperā	asperō		asperīs	asperīs	asperīs
vocative	asper	aspera	asperum		asperī	asperae	aspera

Descendants

Albanian: ashpër Aromanian: ascuru Catalan: aspre French: âpre Italian: aspro

Occitan: aspre Portuguese: áspero Romanian: aspru Sardinian: aspru, aspu Spanish: áspero

Anagrams

• pares