Sharpenesse: rudenesse of maners: vnples alantnesse: roughnesse. Asperitas aceri Plin. Sharpenesse or tartnesse of. Loci iniqua asperitas. Ouid. Vneauen roughnesse. Asperitas animæ. Plin. Ronghnesse or hoarsenesse of the wind pipes. Asperitas imbricata. Plin. A roughnesse like a tyle. Asperitarem contentionis humanitate cōdire. Cic. To sauce or sanour the bilternesse of contention, with a certaine curtesie, and gentlenesse. Verborum asperitas. Ouid. Bough wordes. Asperitas orationis. Liu. Vnpleasantnesse of yle. Asperitas viarum. Cic. Vocis asperitas. Lucret. Hoarsenesse. Asperitas agestis & inconcinna. Horat.

I. Lit.: saxorum asperitates, Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 98: asperitas viarum, id. Phil. 9, 1, 2: locorum, Sall. J. 75, 2: angustiae locorumque asperitas, Liv. 32, 12 fin.; 43, 21; 44, 5 al.: linguae, Plin. 11, 37, 65, 172: ventris, id. 11, 37, 79, 201: squamarum, Gell. 2, 6: faucium, Plin. 30, 4, 11, 32: animi asperitas seu potius animae, hoarseness, id. 22, 24, 51, 111: ob asperitatem hiemis, roughness, severity, Tac. A. 4, 56: asperitas frigorum abest, id. Agr. 12: densaque cedit Frigoris asperitas, Ov. F. 4, 88 al.: asperitas luti, dryness, barrenness of the clay, Vitr. 2, 3.—Of raised work (cf. 1. asper, I., and exaspero): vasa anaglypta in asperitatemque excisa, with figures in basrelief, Plin. 33, 11, 49, 139.—

B. Transf.

1. Of taste, harshness, sharpness, acidity, tartness: vini, Plin. 14, 19, 24, 120: pomi, id. 12, 10, 21, 38: aceti, id. 9, 35, 58, 120: aquarum, the brackish taste of water, id. 12, 9, 20, 37 al.—

2. Of hearing, roughness, harshness of tone: vocis, Lucr. 4, 542: soni, Tac. G. 3.—

3. Of sight, inequality, contrast: cum aspectus ejus scaenae propter asperitatem eblandiretur omnium visus, on account of the contrast of light and shade, Vitr. 7, 5: intercolumniorum, id. 3, 3.—

II. Trop.

A. Of moral qualities, roughness, harshness, severity, fierceness, asperity: si quis eā asperitate est et immanitate naturae, congressus ut hominum fugiat atque oderit, etc., Cic. Lael. 23, 87: avunculi, Nep. Att. 5, 1: patris, Ov. M. 9, 752: artibus ingenuis Pectora mollescunt, asperitasque fugit, id. P. 1, 6, 8: asperitatis et invidiae corrector, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 129.—Of a rigid, austere manner of life: quam illorum (Stoicorum) tristitiam atque asperitatem fugiens Panaetius nec acerbitatem sententiarum nec disserendi spinas probavit, Cic. Fin. 4, 28, 79; cf. 1. asper, II. A.—And of rudeness in external appearance, opp. to a polished, cultivated bearing: asperitas agrestis, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 6.—

B. Of things, adversity, reverse of fortune, trouble, severity, difficulty (cf. 1. asper, II. B., and acerbitas): in his vel asperitatibus rerum vel angustiis temporis obsequar studiis nostris, Cic. de Or. 1, 1, 3: asperitas belli, Sall. J. 29, 1: remedii, Tac. A. 1, 44.—Of style, roughness, harshness, traxu/ths (cf. 1. asper, II. B.): oratio in quā asperitas contentionis oratoris ipsius humanitate conditur, Cic. de Or. 2, 53, 212. judicialis asperitas, id. ib. 2, 15, 64; so Quint. 1, 8, 11; 10, 5, 14 (cf. id. 11, 3, 23): verborum, Ov. M. 14, 526.