asperitas

aspĕrĭtas, ātis, f. [asper], the quality of asper, unevenness, roughness (opp. 2. levitas).

I.

Lit.:

saxorum asperitates,

Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 98:

asperitas viarum,

id. Phil. 9, 1, 2:

locorum,

Sall. J. 75, 2:

angustiae locorumque asperitas,

Liv. 32, 12 fin.; 43, 21; 44, 5 al.:

linguae,

Plin. 11, 37, 65, § 172:

ventris,

id. 11, 37, 79, § 201:

squamarum,

Gell. 2, 6:

faucium,

Plin. 30, 4, 11, § 32:

animi asperitas seu potius animae,

hoarseness, id. 22, 24, 51, § 111:

ob asperitatem hiemis,

roughness, severity, Tac. A. 4, 56:

asperitas frigorum abest,

id. Agr. 12:

densaque cedit Frigoris asperitas,

Ov. F. 4, 88 al.:

asperitas luti,

dryness, barrenness of the clay, Vitr. 2, 3.—Of raised work (cf. 1. asper, I., and exaspero):

vasa anaglypta in asperitatemque excisa,

with figures in basrelief, Plin. 33, 11, 49, § 139.—

B.

Transf.

1.

Of taste, harshness, sharpness, acidity, tartness:

vini,

Plin. 14, 19, 24, § 120:

pomi,

id. 12, 10, 21, § 38:

aceti,

id. 9, 35, 58, § 120:

aquarum,

the brackish taste of water, id. 12, 9, 20, § 37 al. —

2.

Of hearing, roughness, harshness of tone:

vocis,

Lucr. 4, 542:

soni,

Tac. G. 3.—

3.

Of sight, inequality, contrast:

cum aspectus ejus scaenae propter asperitatem eblandiretur omnium visus,

on account of the contrast of light and shade, Vitr. 7, 5:

intercolumniorum,

id. 3, 3.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Of moral qualities, roughness, harshness, severity, fierceness, asperity:

si quis eā asperitate est et immanitate naturae, congressus ut hominum fugiat atque oderit, etc.,

Cic. Lael. 23, 87:

avunculi,

Nep. Att. 5, 1:

patris,

Ov. M. 9, 752:

artibus ingenuis Pectora mollescunt, asperitasque fugit,

id. P. 1, 6, 8:

asperitatis et invidiae corrector,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 129.—Of a rigid, austere manner of life: quam illorum (Stoicorum) tristitiam atque asperitatem fugiens Panaetius nec acerbitatem sententiarum nec disserendi spinas probavit, Cic. Fin. 4, 28, 79; cf. 1. asper, II. A.—And of rudeness in external appearance, opp. to a polished, cultivated bearing:

asperitas agrestis,

Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 6.—

B.

Of things, adversity, reverse of fortune, trouble, severity, difficulty (cf. 1. asper, II. B., and acerbitas):

in his vel asperitatibus rerum vel angustiis temporis obsequar studiis nostris,

Cic. de Or. 1, 1, 3:

asperitas belli,

Sall. J. 29, 1:

remedii,

Tac. A. 1, 44.—Of style, roughness, harshness, trachutês (cf. 1. asper, II. B.):

oratio in quā asperitas contentionis oratoris ipsius humanitate conditur,

Cic. de Or. 2, 53, 212. judicialis asperitas, id. ib. 2, 15, 64; so Quint. 1, 8, 11; 10, 5, 14 (cf. id. 11, 3, 23):

verborum,

Ov. M. 14, 526.