aspersion

nounC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,945 of 15,258Too rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Other forms: aspersions

An aspersion is a damaging remark made about somebody's character. Cast aspersions.

It almost always appears in the phrase cast aspersions, which is where most people meet it. The Latin behind it is sprinkling, so an aspersion is mud scattered rather than thrown.

Definitions of aspersion

1nounaspersionA damaging remark made about somebody's character.C2
“He objected to every aspersion in the letter and answered none of them.”

aspersion is a remark.

Where it comes from

Latin aspersio means a sprinkling, from aspergere, to scatter upon.

Latin
aspersiōnem
English, today
aspersion

Built from

aspersiō · Latin — sprinkling

From Latin aspersiōnem, from aspersiō (“sprinkling”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

← Vocabulary

aspersion

nounC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,945 of 15,258Too rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Other forms: aspersions

An aspersion is a damaging remark made about somebody's character. Cast aspersions.

It almost always appears in the phrase cast aspersions, which is where most people meet it. The Latin behind it is sprinkling, so an aspersion is mud scattered rather than thrown.

Definitions of aspersion

1nounaspersionA damaging remark made about somebody's character.C2
“He objected to every aspersion in the letter and answered none of them.”

aspersion is a remark.

Where it comes from

Latin aspersio means a sprinkling, from aspergere, to scatter upon.

Latin
aspersiōnem
English, today
aspersion

Built from

aspersiō · Latin — sprinkling

From Latin aspersiōnem, from aspersiō (“sprinkling”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA