asperse etymology

Etymology:

The word "asperse" originates from the Latin verb "aspergere," meaning "to sprinkle" or "to scatter." It is derived from "asper," which means "rough" or "uneven."

Meaning:

In English, "asperse" primarily refers to the act of damaging or slandering someone's reputation by spreading negative or untrue information about them.

Origin:

The concept of aspersion as a form of defamation can be traced back to ancient times. In Roman law, the act of "diffamatio" (defamation) included spreading false and injurious words about someone.

Semantic Shift:

Over time, the meaning of "asperse" has undergone a semantic shift. Originally, it referred to the physical act of sprinkling something. However, in the 16th century, it began to be used figuratively to describe the act of damaging someone's reputation.

Usage:

Today, "asperse" is commonly used in legal and journalistic contexts to refer to the intentional spreading of damaging information about someone. It can also be used in a more general sense to describe any act of defamation or slander.

Examples:

• The politician was aspersed by his opponents during the election campaign.
• The tabloid newspaper ran an article that aspersed the reputation of the celebrity.
• She was unjustly aspersed by her boss, who spread rumors of her incompetence.

asperse relate terms

• aspersion

  Etymology Latin aspersio from aspergere meaning to sprinkle or to scatter Pr

• sparse

  Etymology Late Latin sparsus scattered dispersed source of French épars Spanish e

• defame

  Etymology and Origin of Defame The word defame originates from the Latin word diffa

• slander

  Etymology The word slander is derived from the Old French term esclandre which means

• smirch

  Etymology The word smirch comes from the Middle English word smirken which itself de

• traduce

  etimología significado y origen

• educrat

  Etymology Educrat is a portmanteau of the words educate and bureaucrat Meaning A

• libel

  Etymology The word libel comes from the Latin word libellus which means little book

• accuse

  Etymology The word accuse comes from Old French acuser Medieval Latin accusare

• malign

  Etymology Late Middle English via Old French from Latin malignus from male bad harm

• charge

  Etymology The word charge comes from the Old French word carge which in turn derives

• smear

  Etymology The word smear comes from the Middle English word smere which means fat