I. asper adjective
Etymology: Middle English aspre, asper, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French aspre, from Latin asper, literally, rough
obsolete : harsh , bitter , stern
II. as·per ˈaspə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French aspre or Italian aspro, from Middle Greek aspron, from neuter of aspros white, from Latin asper rough, newly minted
1. : any one of several small silver coins circulating in the eastern Mediterranean area from the 12th to the 17th centuries:
a. : a coin issued by the Comneni of Trebizond
b. : a coin issued by the Knights of Rhodes equivalent to the denier of western Europe
c. : a Turkish coin first issued in the 14th century
2. : a Turkish unit of value that continued in use after the disappearance of the Turkish asper at one time equivalent to the 120th part of a piaster