asperse

• From Latin aspersum, past participle of aspergere.

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• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)s

asperse (third-person singular simple present asperses, present participle aspersing, simple past and past participle aspersed)

1. To sprinkle or scatter (liquid or dust).
2. To falsely or maliciously charge another; to slander.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. In Six Volumes, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: Printed by A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292:

     This is indeed a most aggravating circumstance, which attends depriving men unjustly of their reputation; for a man who is conscious of having an ill character, cannot justly be angry with those who neglect and slight him; but ought rather to despise such as affect his conversation, unless where a perfect intimacy must have convinced them that their friend’s character hath been falsely and injuriously aspersed.

• 2004: a hand in San Marco's font / aspersed him with foul canal water — Derek Walcott, The Prodigal, (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2004) page 102

• See also Thesaurus:defame

• Parsees, pareses, preases, preasse, seprase, serapes

asperse

1. third-person singular past historic of aspergere

asperse f

1. plural of asperso

• esparse
• paresse
• passere
• spesare
• speserà

asperse

1. vocative masculine singular of aspersus