Asper

1.

asper, ĕra, ĕrum, adj. (aspra = aspera, Enn. ap. App. Mag. p. 299, but Vahl. ad Enn. p. 166 reads spissa instead of aspra:

aspris = asperis,

Verg. A. 2, 379;

aspro = aspero,

Pall. Insit. 67 ) [etym. dub.; Doed. foll. by Hinter connects it with aspairô, 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. trachus (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.

2.

Asper, eri, m.

I.

A cognomen of L. Trebonius:

L. Trebonius... insectandis patribus, unde Aspero etiam inditum est cognomen, tribunatum gessit,

Liv. 3, 65, 4. —

II.

Asper, Aspri (Prob. p. 201 Keil), m., a Latin grammarian, two of whose treatises have come down to us; v. Teuffel, Rom. Lit. § 474, 4.