asper

Meanings

Adjective

• Rough or harsh; severe, stern, serious.

Noun

• Rough breathing; a mark (#) indicating that part of a word is aspirated, or pronounced with h before it.
• Any one of several small coins, circulated around the eastern Mediterranean area from the 12th to 17th centuries.

Origin

• From Middle English aspre, from Old French aspre (modern French âpre), from Latin asper ("rough").
• From Middle English asper, from Middle French aspre or Italian aspro, both from Ancient Greek ἄσπρον, from neuter of ἄσπρος, from Latin asper ("rough, newly minted")