different between asperse vs decry

English

Etymology

From Latin aspersus, past participle of aspergere.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??sp??s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??sp?s/
• Rhymes: -??(?)s

Verb

asperse (third-person singular simple present asperses, present participle aspersing, simple past and past participle aspersed)

1. To sprinkle or scatter (liquid or dust).
2. To falsely or maliciously charge another; to slander.

   • This is indeed a most aggravating circumstance, which attends depriving men unjustly of their reputation; for a man who is conscious of having an ill character, cannot justly be angry with those who neglect and slight him; but ought rather to despise such as affect his conversation, unless where a perfect intimacy must have convinced them that their friend’s character hath been falsely and injuriously aspersed.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:defame

Translations

Anagrams

• Parsees, pareses, preases, preasse, seprase, serapes

Italian

Verb

asperse

1. third-person singular past historic of aspergere

asperse

1. feminine plural of asperso

Anagrams

• esparse
• paresse
• passere
• spesare
• speserà

Latin

Participle

asperse

1. vocative masculine singular of aspersus

English

Etymology

From Old French descrier (“to shout”), from des- (“out, away, off, down”) + crier (“to cry”); see cry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??k?a?/
• Rhymes: -a?

Verb

decry (third-person singular simple present decries, present participle decrying, simple past and past participle decried)

1. (transitive) To denounce as harmful.
   • 1970, Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, Bantam Books, pg. 99:

     All of us seem to need some totalistic relationships in our lives. But to decry the fact that we cannot have only such relationships is nonsense.

   • 1970, Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, Bantam Books, pg. 474:

     While decrying bureaucracy and demanding participatory democracy they, themselves, frequently attempt to manipulate the very group of workers, blacks or students on whose behalf they demand participation.

2. (transitive) To blame for ills.

Translations

References

• Chambers's Etymological Dictionary, 1896, p. 114
• decry in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• decry in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• decry at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• cedry, cyder