asper

Etymology 1

From Middle English aspre, from Old French aspre (modern French âpre), from Latin asper (“rough”).

adj

1. (obsolete) Rough or harsh; severe, stern, serious.

noun

1. (phonetics, obsolete) Rough breathing; a mark (#) indicating that part of a word is aspirated, or pronounced with h before it.

Etymology 2

From Middle English asper, from Middle French aspre or Italian aspro, both from Ancient Greek ἄσπρον (áspron), from neuter of ἄσπρος (áspros, “white”), from Latin asper (“rough, newly minted”).

noun

1. (historical) Any one of several small coins, circulated around the eastern Mediterranean area from the 12th to 17th centuries.