asperity

n., pl., -ties.

1. 1. Roughness or harshness, as of surface, sound, or climate: the asperity of northern winters.
   2. Severity; rigor.
2. A slight projection from a surface; a point or bump.
3. Harshness of manner; ill temper or irritability.

[Middle English asperite, from Old French asprete, from Latin asperitās, from asper, rough.]

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, no softie herself, accuses US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of speaking with asperity (a harsh manner). But doesn't this seem appropriate when talking about terrorist groups and states?

"Condi doesn't want to talk to Hezbollah or its sponsors, Syria and Iran — 'Syria knows what it needs to do,' she says with asperity — and she doesn't want a cease-fire. She wants 'a sustainable cease-fire'..."

Link: Condi's Flying Dutchman - New York Times

Posted July 23, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

noun

Something that obstructs progress and requires great effort to overcome: difficulty, hardship, rigor, vicissitude (often used in plural). Idioms: ahardtoughnut to crack, ahardtoughrow to hoe, heavy sledding. See easy/hard.

n

Definition: meanness; bad temper
Antonyms: calmness, happiness, kindness, mildness

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IN BRIEF: Sharpness; toughness.

Harriet's words were full of asperity.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - strenghed, hårdhed, barskhed

Nederlands (Dutch)
kribbigheid, ruw woord, ruwheid, scherpe uitwas, ruw oppervlak, raspend geluid

Français (French)
n. - aspérité, rudesse, rigueurs (npl)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Härte, Rauheit

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - τραχύτητα, δριμύτητα

Italiano (Italian)
asprezza, rigore

Português (Portuguese)
n. - aspereza (f), severidade (f), rigor (m)

Русский (Russian)
неровность, шероховатость

Español (Spanish)
n. - aspereza

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kärvhet, skärpa

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
严酷, 刻薄, 粗暴

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 嚴酷, 刻薄, 粗暴

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 퉁명스러움, 고난

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 荒々しさ, きびしさ, 手ざわりの荒さ, 辛辣な言葉

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قسوه, خشونه, حده‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮גסות, חספוס, קושי, קשיחות‬

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