Harshness or severity in manner, speech, or conditions. It can refer to physical roughness or emotional sharpness in tone.
From Latin 'asperitas' meaning roughness, derived from 'asper' (rough, harsh). The word entered English in the 13th century, maintaining its sense of both physical and metaphorical roughness.
Think of 'aspirin' - both words share the harsh 'asp' sound, and aspirin treats the asperity (harshness) of headaches! The word literally means 'roughness' in every sense.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.