*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of asper

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

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

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

adj

Rough or harsh; severe, stern, serious.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionaspreenm
  • Derivation mentionasprefro
  • Cognate mentionâprefr
  • Derivation mentionasperla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "rough"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aspre"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aspre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "aspre"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French aspre"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "âpre"
      },
      "expansion": "French âpre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "asper",
        "4": "",
        "5": "rough"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin asper (“rough”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "aspre",
      "aspre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aspre",
      "aspre#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "âpre",
      "âpre#French"
    ],
    [
      "asper",
      "asper#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Rough breathing; a mark (#) indicating that part of a word is aspirated, or pronounced with h before it."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "1f4ef2ccc0129b3c4bbdb498b6d66c546740fc70f509fed57df3fc0fd85378f0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fab0f19854e4f331c71803761d86f3e37daf1b08c616f0249ff4cc7966824fcd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 607592
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Rough or harsh; severe, stern, serious."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "5bd588be5ee71fa9fb3d03f3b32eb446016a121e560a6e31e65ff5c0c2dc0bbb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "42363489782786e8c405e60f2ff74a421cb765263474c1893b7ae99830e19351",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 607591
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Any one of several small coins, circulated around the eastern Mediterranean area from the 12th to 17th centuries.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "coin"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "asper"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English asper"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "aspre"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French aspre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "aspro"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian aspro"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ἄσπρον"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ἄσπρον (áspron)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "asper",
        "4": "",
        "5": "rough, newly minted"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin asper (“rough, newly minted”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "asper",
      "asper#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aspre",
      "aspre#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "aspro",
      "aspro#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "ἄσπρον",
      "ἄσπρον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "neuter",
      "neuter"
    ],
    [
      "ἄσπρος",
      "ἄσπρος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "asper",
      "asper#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any one of several small coins, circulated around the eastern Mediterranean area from the 12th to 17th centuries."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "77da1b31d4bb53317a8eef696f260aa42579705e0fd78b49d57c4c6ae2a0c596",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d1eb3a8b4bd485e4967b931897554a509803580ce1abc575c65901dda3fc6ef5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 607593
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for asper →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXNwZXI