Literary notes about Asper (AI summary)
The term asper appears with a notable semantic versatility in literature. Often rooted in its Latin meaning of "rough" or "harsh" ([1], [2]), it functions both as a descriptive adjective to characterize textural qualities—for instance, in delineating coarse surfaces or uneven patterns ([3], [4])—and as an identifying name for characters, such as Sulpitius Asper or Mr. Asper, whose mention anchors their personality and social role within narratives ([5], [6], [7]). Moreover, asper extends its reach into scientific descriptions where it denotes species with specific rough features ([8], [9], [10]), and it even surfaces in conversational contexts and allegorical dialogues, underscoring its capacity to bridge formal classification and everyday speech ([11], [12]).
- The Latin word asper means rough or harsh , and was applied to things which had a rough surface.
— from Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 10: The Guide by Charles Herbert Sylvester - of asperare , roughen, < asper , rough), having a rough, uneven surface.
— from Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous; one thousand American fungi How to select and cook the edible; how to distinguish and avoid the poisonous, with full botanic descriptions. Toadstool poisons and their treatment, instructions to students, recipes for cooking, etc., etc. by Charles McIlvaine - Thus:— asper, rough , asper ior , asper rimus .
— from New Latin Grammar by Charles E. (Charles Edwin) Bennett - asperitās, ātis [ asper ], f., roughness , harshness .
— from Eutropius by active 4th century Eutropius - There’s Sulpitius Asper, And Julius Tugerinus, Martius Festus, Proculus, a whole list,—Munatius Gratus, Vulcatius Avaricus....
— from Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 6 by Robert Bridges - Indeed, Sulpicius Asper, a centurion, and Subrius Flavius, a military tribune, both belonging to the body-guards, admitted this to him point blank.
— from Dio's Rome, Volume 5, Books 61-76 (A.D. 54-211) An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form By Herbert Baldwin Foster by Cassius Dio Cocceianus - Asper, when he entered the room, would kneel down and offer to kiss the stranger’s sandal, though the latter generally managed to prevent it.
— from Callista : a Tale of the Third Century by John Henry Newman - A bachelor must be married to the sādo ( Streblus asper ) tree before he can marry a widow.
— from Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 3 of 7 by Edgar Thurston - Large females of T. s. asper from rivers emptying into the Atlantic Ocean have broadened alveolar surfaces. Fig.
— from North American Recent Soft-Shelled Turtles (Family Trionychidae) by Robert G. Webb - 4. Spongurus asper , Haeckel. Haliomma asperum , Joh. Müller, 1858, Abhandl.
— from Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-76, Vol. XVIII by Ernst Haeckel - When he was gone she rounded on Agathemer: "Asper," said she, "I am ashamed of you.
— from Andivius Hedulio: Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by Edward Lucas White - "Asper, my dear," said Doris, "no matter what sort of trouble you were in at Rome, Rome can't be as dangerous for you as Marseilles.
— from Andivius Hedulio: Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by Edward Lucas White
