aspersion (2009-05-27)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: [ê-'spêr-zhên]

Definition: (1) The act of sprinkling or spattering, especially the sprinkling of water in religious ceremonies. (The sense of spattering with mud or dirt has given way to Definition 2.) (2) An act of slander, impugning, or besmirching (a reputation).

Usage: Casting aspersions on the character of others undermines one's own, so let us hope you seldom need this word. You want to avoid situations like this: "I once belonged to a writer's group where any criticism of another's work was greeted with aspersions on one's parentage."

Suggested Usage: "Cast aspersion" is the cliché in which this word most commonly occurs: "He cast aspersions on my mother, so I am no longer speaking to him." The verb, now seldom used, is "asperse." "Aspersive" and "aspersory" have been used as adjectives in the past.

Etymology: Latin asperg-ere "sprinkle" from ad- "to, at" + spargere "to sprinkle." The past participle is sparsus "dispersed, spread out" from which English also borrowed "sparse." The same root provided English with "spring."