The act of sprinkling liquid (especially holy water) on something or someone, or spreading rumors and making negative comments about someone's character.
Present participle of 'asperse,' derived from Latin 'aspergere' (to sprinkle or splash), composed of 'ad-' (to) + 'spargere' (to scatter). The meaning evolved from literal sprinkling to figurative 'sprinkling' of negative remarks.
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