asperse
UK /əˈspɜːs/ · US /əˈspɝs/ verb
Forms asperses aspersing aspersed
Synonyms
libel slander traduce assassinate backbite badmouth befoul belibel besmirch besmear bewray blacken blame blaze blemish blot blur calumniate calumny chat shit defame smirch denigrate smear sully
Etymology
From Latin aspersus, past participle of aspergere.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To sprinkle, as water or dust, upon anybody or anything, or to besprinkle any one with a liquid or with dust. Heywood.
- verb To bespatter with foul reports or false and injurious charges; to tarnish in point of reputation or good name; to slander or calumniate; as, to asperse a poet or his writings; to asperse a man's character.
Etymology [L. aspersus, p. p. of aspergere to scatter, sprinkle; ad + spargere to strew. See Sparse.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “asperse”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details