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asperse

[ uh-spurs ]
/ əˈspɜrs /
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See synonyms for: asperse / asperser / aspersive on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), as·persed, as·pers·ing.
to attack with false, malicious, and damaging charges or insinuations; slander.
to sprinkle; bespatter.
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Origin of asperse

1480–90; <Latin aspersus besprinkled (past participle of aspergere), equivalent to a-a-5 + -sper- (combining form of spar-, variant of sparg-sparge) + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM asperse

Words nearby asperse

aspergillosis, aspergillum, aspergillus, asperity, aspermia, asperse, aspersion, aspersorium, asphalt, asphaltene, asphaltite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to asperse

blacken, defame, detract, disparage, malign, slander, slur, smear, vilify, tear down

How to use asperse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for asperse

asperse
/ (əˈspɜːs) /
verb (tr)
to spread false rumours about; defame
rare to sprinkle, as with water in baptism

Derived forms of asperse

asperser, nounaspersive, adjectiveaspersively, adverb

Word Origin for asperse

C15: from Latin aspersus, from aspergere to sprinkle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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