asperity

C2 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /əˈspɛɹɪti/ UK /əˈspɛɹɪti/ See IPA manual

Freq #373153

Meanings

1

noun
something hard to endure

The asperity of northern winters.
2

noun
The quality of being difficult or unpleasant to experience; (countable) a thing that is harsh and difficult to endure; a difficulty, a hardship.

The asperity of Maine’s winter.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · something hard to endure grimness hardship rigorrigorousnessrigourrigourousnessseverenessseverity

2 noun · the quality of being... harshness rigour severity

Word family

Derived forms nanoasperity

Related forms asperitasasperousexasperate

Etymology

From Middle English asprete, asperite, from Old French aspreté (modern French âpreté), from Latin asperitātem, the accusative singular of asperitās (“roughness, unevenness; fierceness, severity; harshness, sharpness; acidity, tartness”), from asper (“coarse, rough, uneven; bitter, fierce harsh; rude, unrefined; etc.”) (probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₂esp- (“to cut”)) + -itās (a variant of -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns indicating a state of being)). The spelling of the English word is influenced directly by Latin asperitātem. Doublet of asperitas.

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# asperity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈspɛɹɪti/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈspɛɹɪti/
**Frequency rank:** 373153

## Meanings
1. something hard to endure
2. The quality of being difficult or unpleasant to experience; (countable) a thing that is harsh and difficult to endure; a difficulty, a hardship.

## Examples
- The asperity of northern winters.
- The asperity of Maine’s winter.

## Synonyms
- grimness
- hardship
- rigor
- rigorousness
- rigour
- rigourousness
- severeness
- severity
- harshness

## Derived Forms
- nanoasperity

## Related Forms
- asperitas
- asperous
- exasperate

## Etymology
From Middle English asprete, asperite, from Old French aspreté (modern French âpreté), from Latin asperitātem, the accusative singular of asperitās (“roughness, unevenness; fierceness, severity; harshness, sharpness; acidity, tartness”), from asper (“coarse, rough, uneven; bitter, fierce harsh; rude, unrefined; etc.”) (probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₂esp- (“to cut”)) + -itās (a variant of -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns indicating a state of being)). The spelling of the English word is influenced directly by Latin asperitātem. Doublet of asperitas.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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