asperity

noun

1. (formal, uncountable)The quality of having a rough or uneven surface; roughness, unevenness; (countable, chiefly in the plural) a protruding or rough area or point on a surface; a protrusion.

   “Oyle of ſwete Almondes and of ſiſami taketh away the aſperitie and rougheneſſe of the throte.”

   “The iuyce of Mynte mengled with honied water, cureth the payne of the eares being dropped therein, and taketh away the aſperitie, and roughneſſe of the tongue, whan it is rubbed or waſſhed therewith.”

   “[I]f Man vvere out of the vvorld, vvho vvere then left […] to vievv the aſperityes of the Moon through a Dioptrick-glaſſe, and venture at the Proportion of her Hills by their ſhadovves[…]?”

   “This Iſland [Corsica] has ever been ill Inhabited, by reaſon of the Aſperity of a great part of it, and the great difficulty of approaching it.”

   “The genius of a people vvhere nothing but the monarchy is ſalique, having ceded this department, vvith ſundry others, totally to the vvomen—by a continual higgling vvith cuſtomers of all ranks and ſizes from morning to night, like ſo many rough pebbles ſhook long together in a bag, by amicable colliſions, they have vvorn dovvn their aſperities and ſharp angles, and not only become round and ſmooth, but vvill receive, ſome of them, a poliſh like a brilliant— […]”

2. (countable, formal)The quality of having a rough or uneven surface; roughness, unevenness; (countable, chiefly in the plural) a protruding or rough area or point on a surface; a protrusion.

   “We inferred that the locking of asperities did cause higher stresses associated with earthquake cycle itself to occur in areas adjacent to asperities, both updip and downdip from them, and that such stressing has been much less pronounced in the areas adjacent to non-asperities.”

   “Since rapid permanent plate shortening is not observed in subduction zones, there must be either strain release over a large region or strain accumulation over a small region over earthquake cycles. […] The most likely mechanism for the latter is the accumulation of elastic strain around isolated locked asperities of the fault, which requires significant aseismic fault slip between asperities.”

   “The model to explain the seismicity variation along the fault boundaries considers that plate boundaries consist of asperities and barriers having different friction laws. These asperities are distributed in a fractal manner and each fault contains small and large asperities.”

3. (figuratively, formal, uncountable)The quality of being difficult or unpleasant to experience; (countable) a thing that is harsh and difficult to endure; a difficulty, a hardship.

   “the asperity of Maine’s winter”

   “If the faith were in our daies as feruēt [fervent] as it hath bene ere this, in tyme before passed, litle counſayle and litle comfort would ſuffice. We ſhould not muche nede with wordes and reaſoning, to extenuate and minyſh the vygour and aſperitie of the paynes, but the greatter ⁊ the more bitter that the paſſion wer, the more ready was of olde tyme the feruor of faith to ſuffer it.”

   “[O]ur Savior ſeemeth to have affected ſo much, the inviſcerating this diſpoſition in our hearts, as he claimeth the firſt introduction of this precept, to recommend it to us, as a ſpecial property of his miſſion, that the kindneſs to his perſon might ſvveeten the aſperity of the command, […]”

   “VVhence comes it, that in Chriſtendome there has been, almoſt from the time of the Apoſtles, ſuch juſtling of one another out of their places, both by forraign, and Civill war? ſuch ſtumbling at every little aſperity of their ovvn fortune, and every little eminence of that of other men?”

   “And ſurely, if vve are not conſcious that vve have contributed to our ovvn ſufferings, if puniſhment fall upon innocence, or diſappointment happens to induſtry and prudence; patience, vvhether more neceſſary or not, is much eaſier; ſince our pain is then vvithout aggravation, and vve have not the bitterneſs of remorſe to add to the aſperity of misfortune.”

4. (figuratively, formal, uncountable)The quality of being harsh or severe in the way one behaves or speaks toward another person; (countable, chiefly in the plural) a deeply hostile or resentful feeling; an animosity, a hatred.

   “But leaſt he ſhoulde offend the Iewes with the aſperitie of the word, if hee had ſaid that the lawe was dead, hee vſed a digreſſion, or deflection, ſaying, we are dead to the law.”

   “[H]e [God] vvill reprove them ſharply for their uncharitable bitterneſs one againſt another, and menace them even vvith deſtruction, if they leave not off their animoſities and aſperities of mind about toys and trifles, and hold faſt to the Royal Lavv of Love […]”

   “The animadverſions of critics are commonly ſuch as may eaſily provoke the ſedateſt vvriter to ſome quickneſs of reſentment and aſperity of reply.”

   “[…] I ſee not that you can blame any aſperity in Her, vvhom you have ſo largely contributed to make unhappy.”

   “But here he was set right by Mrs. Bennet, who assured him with some asperity that they were very well able to keep a good cook, and that her daughters had nothing to do in the kitchen.”

5. (archaic, countable, figuratively, formal, uncountable)Of sound: gratingness, harshness.

   “[T]he importunate, harſh and diſharmonious Coaxations of Frogs, (ſo called in the Greek from that very ungratefull noiſe, […] from the ſhrilneſs and aſperity of the noiſe they make) […]”

   “[John] Miltonm therefore ſeems to have ſomevvhat miſtaken the nature of our language, of vvhich the chief defect is ruggedneſs and aſperity, and has left our harſh cadences yet harſher.”

6. (archaic, countable, figuratively, formal, uncountable)Of taste: harshness or sharpness; acridity, tartness.

   “[T]he aſperity of tartarous ſalts, and the fiery acrimony of alcaline ſalts, irritating and vvounding the nerves, produce naſcent paſſions and anxieties in the ſoul; vvhich both aggravate diſtempers, and render men's lives reſtleſs and vvretched, even vvhen they are afflicted vvith no apparent diſtemper.”

7. (archaic, countable, figuratively, formal, uncountable)Of writing: a lack of elegance and refinement; inelegance, roughness.