aspere

Forms

asperē (comparative asperius, superlative asperrimē)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin asper (“rough”) + -ē.^[2][1][3] De Vaan tentatively traces asper to Proto-Italic *aspi-ro- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂esp-i- (“cutting”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,^[3] who writes of speaking without harshness, roughness or rusticity.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is so as to give a rough surface, as Vitruvius' walls to be rough-plastered; with a harsh sound; in an unrefined way, coarsely, as Cicero's man dressed roughly in common dark purple.^[2] Most often it means harshly, severely, sternly: Cicero asks who can censure the wicked more harshly.^[2] It is also drastically, as in the letters to Caesar ascribed to Sallust, and with accipere or patī to take ill or resent, as in Cicero's letters.^[2]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of harsh speech, censure and resentment.^[2][3]
• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius of rough plastering.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Roughly, with a rough surface; with a harsh sound.^[2][1]
2. Coarsely, in an unrefined way.^[2][1]
3. Harshly, severely, sternly;^[2][1] drastically.^[2]
4. asperē accipere, asperē patī: to take ill, resent.^[2]

Related words

• asper
• asperitās

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill