I.spissa instead of aspra: “aspris = asperis,” Verg. A. 2, 379; “aspro = aspero,” Pall. Insit. 67) [etym. dub.; Doed. foll. by Hinter connects it with ἀσπαίρω, to struggle, to resist; Corssen, Ausspr. II. p. 593, regards asper (i. e. ab spe) as the proper opposite of prosper (i. e. pro spe); thus asper originally meant hopeless, desperate; v. also id. ib. II. p. 870; cf. the use of res asperae as the opposite of res prosperae]; as affecting the sense of touch, rough, uneven (opp. lēvis or lenis; syn.: scaber, acutus, insuavis, acerbus, amarus, mordax, durus).
I. 1.. Lit.: “lingua aspera tactu,” Lucr. 6, 1150; cf. Verg. G. 3, 508; Ov. M. 7, 556; Luc. 4, 325: “mixta aspera levibus,” Lucr. 2, 471: “in locis (spectatur) plani an montuosi, leves an asperi,” Cic. Part. Or. 10, 36: Quid judicant sensus? dulce, amarum; “lene, asperum,” id. Fin. 2, 12, 36: “tumulus asperi (sc. saxibus) soli,” Liv. 25, 36: saxa, Enn. ap. Cic. Pis. 19; Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37; Pac. ap. Mar. Vict. p. 2522 P.; Att. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 10, 23; Lucr. 4, 147; Ov. M. 6, 76; cf. “Leucas,” Luc. 1, 42: “loca,” Caes. B. C. 3, 42, and Vulg. Act. 27, 29: “viae asperae,” ib. Bar. 4, 26: “vallis aspera,” ib. Deut. 21, 4 et saep.: unda, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2: “glacies,” Verg. E. 10, 49: “hiems,” Ov. M. 11, 490; Claud. ap. Prob. Cons. 270: Phasis, i. e. frozen, ice-bound, Prob. ap. Rufin. I. 375; “and of climate: aspera caelo Germania,” harsh, severe, Tac. G. 2: arteria. the windpipe (v. arteria), Cic. N. D. 2, 54, 136; Cels. 4, 1.—Of raised work (i. e. bas-relief, etc., as being rough), as in Gr. τραχύς (cf. exaspero): “aspera signis Pocula,” Verg. A. 9, 263: “Cymbiaque argento perfecta atque aspera signis,” id. ib. 5, 267: “signis exstantibus asper Antiquus crater,” Ov. M. 12, 235 (cf.: “stantem extra pocula caprum,” Juv. 1, 76): “Summus inaurato crater erat asper acantho,” Ov. M. 13, 701: “aspera pocula,” Prop. 2, 6, 17: “ebur,” Sen. Hippol. 899: “balteus,” Val. Fl. 5, 578: “cingula bacis,” Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 89; cf. Drak. ad Sil. 11, 279: “nummus,” not worn smooth, new, Suet. Ner. 44; cf. Sen. Ep. 19: “mare,” agitated by a storm, rough, tempestuous, Liv. 37, 16.—Of things that have a rough, thorny, prickly exterior: “barba,” Tib. 1, 8, 32: “sentes,” Verg. A. 2, 379: “rubus,” id. E. 3, 89: “mucro,” Luc. 7, 139 (cf. Tac. A. 15, 54: pugionem vetustate obtusum asperari saxo jussit; v. aspero).—
2. Meton., of food: He. Asper meus victus sanest. Er. Sentisne essitas? He. My fare is very rough. Er. Do you feed on brambles? Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 85; cf. id. ib. 3, 1, 37; also of a cough producing hoarseness: “quas (fauces) aspera vexat Assidue tussis,” Mart. 11, 86, 1.—
3. Subst.: aspĕrum , i, n., an uneven, rough place: “latens in asperis radix,” Hor. Epod. 5, 67: “aspera maris,” Tac. A. 4, 6: “propter aspera et confragosa,” Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 53: “per aspera et devia,” Suet. Tib. 60: “erunt aspera in vias planas,” Vulg. Isa. 40, 4; ib. Luc. 3, 5.—Also in the sup. absol.: “asperrimo hiemis Ticinum usque progressus,” Tac. A. 3, 5.—
II. Transf.
1. Of taste, rough, harsh, sour, bitter, brackish, acrid, pungent: “asperum, Pater, hoc (vinum) est: aliud lenius, sodes, vide,” Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 49: “asper sapor maris,” Plin. 2, 100, 104, § 222: allium asperi saporis; “quo plures nuclei fuere, hoc est asperius,” id. 19, 6, 34, § 111: “asperrimum piper,” id. 12, 7, 14, § 27: “acetum quam asperrimum,” id. 20, 9, 39, § 97.—
2. Of sound, rough, harsh, grating, etc.: “(pronuntiationis genus) lene, asperum,” Cic. de Or. 3, 57, 216.—Hence a poet. epithet of the letter R (also called littera canina), Ov. F. 5, 481.—In rhetoric, rough, rugged, irregular: quidam praefractam et asperam compositionem probant; “virilem putant et fortem, quae aurem inaequalitate percutiat,” Sen. Ep. 114; cf. Cic. Or. 16, 53: “duram potius atque asperam compositionem malim esse quam effeminatam et enervem,” Quint. 9, 4, 142. And in gram., spiritus asper, the h sound, the aspirate, Prisc. p. 572 P.—
3. Of smell, sharp, pungent: “herba odoris asperi,” Plin. 27, 8, 41, § 64.—
III. Trop.
A. a.. Of moral qualities, rough, harsh, hard, violent, unkind, rude (cf.: acerbus, acer, and Wagner ad Verg. A. 1, 14): “quos naturā putes asperos atque omnibus iniquos,” Cic. Planc. 16, 40: “orator truculentus, asper, maledicus,” id. Brut. 34, 129: “aspera Juno,” Verg. A. 1, 279: “juvenis monitoribus asper,” Hor. A. P. 163: “patres vestros, asperrimos illos ad condicionem pacis,” Liv. 22, 59; cf. id. 2, 27: “rebus non asper egenis,” Verg. A. 8, 365: “cladibus asper,” exasperated, Ov. M. 14, 485: “asperaque est illi difficilisque Venus,” unfriendly, Tib. 1, 9, 20; cf. id. 1, 6, 2: “(Galatea) acrior igni, Asperior tribulis, fetā truculentior ursā,” Ov. M. 13, 803: “Quam aspera est nimium sapientia indoctis hominibus,” Vulg. Eccli. 6, 21: “asper contemptor divom Mezentius,” Verg. A. 7, 647: “aspera Pholoe,” coy, Hor. C. 1, 33, 6.—Of a harsh, austere, rigid view of life, or manner of living: “accessit istuc doctrina (sc. Stoicorum) non moderata nec mitis, sed paulo asperior et durior quam aut veritas aut natura patiatur,” Cic. Mur. 29: “(Stoici) horridiores evadunt, asperiores, duriores et oratione et verbis,” id. Fin. 4, 28, 78 (v. asperitas, II. A.): “(Cato) asperi animi et linguae acerbae et immodice liberae fuit, sed rigidae innocentiae,” Liv. 39, 40: “(Karthago) studiis asperrima belli,” Verg. A. 1, 14, ubi v. Wagner: “Camilla aspera,” id. ib. 11, 664; cf.: “gens laboribus et bellis asperrima,” Just. 2, 3: “virgo aspera,” i. e. Diana, Sen. Med. 87.—
b. Of animals, wild, savage, fierce: “(anguis) asper siti atque exterritus aestu,” Verg. G. 3, 434: “bos aspera cornu, i. e. minax,” id. ib. 3, 57; cf. Hor. Epod. 6, 11: “ille (lupus) asper Saevit,” Verg. A. 9, 62: “lupus dulcedine sanguinis asper,” Ov. M. 11, 402: “ille (leo) asper retro redit,” Verg. A. 9, 794: “tigris aspera,” Hor. C. 1, 23, 9; 3, 2, 10: “(equus) asper frena pati,” Sil. 3, 387.—
B. Of things, rough, harsh, troublesome, adverse, calamitous, cruel, etc. (most freq. in the poets): “in periculis et asperis temporibus,” Cic. Balb. 9: qui labores, pericula, dubias atque asperas res facile toleraverant, Sall. C. 10, 2: mala res, spes multo asperior, (our) circumstances are bad, (our) prospects still worse, id. ib. 20, 13: “venatus,” Verg. A. 8, 318: “bellum,” Sall. J. 48, 1; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 7: “pugna,” Verg. A. 11, 635; 12, 124: “fata,” id. ib. 6, 882: “odia,” id. ib. 2, 96.—Absol.: “multa aspera,” Prop. 1, 18, 13; Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 21 al.—Of discourse, severe, abusive: “asperioribus facetiis perstringere aliquem,” Cic. Planc. 14; Tac. A. 15, 68: “verba,” Tib. 4, 4, 14; Ov. P. 2, 6, 8; Vulg. Psa. 90, 3: “vox,” Curt. 7, 1.—Adv.
a. Old form asperĭter , roughly, harshly: cubare, Naev. ap. Non. p. 513, 21; Plaut. ap. Prisc. p. 1010 P.—
b. Class. form aspĕrē (in fig. signif.), roughly, harshly, severely, vehemently, etc.
1. Transf.: “loqui,” Cic. de Or. 3, 12, 45; Quint. 6, 5, 5: “dicere,” id. 2, 8, 15: “syllabae aspere coëuntes,” id. 1, 1, 37.—
2. Trop.: “aspere accipere aliquid,” Tac. A. 4, 31: “aspere et acerbe accusare aliquem,” Cic. Fam. 1, 5, 6: “aspere agere aliquid,” Liv. 3, 50: “aspere et ferociter et libere dicta,” Cic. Planc. 13, 33; Quint. 6, 3, 28: “aspere et vehementer loqui,” Cic. de Or. 1, 53, 227: ne quid aspere loquaris, * Vulg. Gen. 31, 24.— Comp.: “asperius loqui aliquid,” Cic. de Or. 1, 53, 227: “asperius scribere de aliquo,” id. Att. 9, 15.—Sup.: “asperrime loqui in aliquem,” Cic. Att. 2, 22, 5: “asperrime pati aliquid,” Sen. Ira, 3, 37, 1: “asperrime saevire in aliquem,” Vell. 2, 7.
