different between harm vs aspersion

English

Etymology

From Middle English harm, herm, from Old English hearm, from Proto-West Germanic *harm, from Proto-Germanic *harmaz (“harm; shame; pain”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /h??m/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /h??m/
• Rhymes: -??(?)m

Noun

harm (countable and uncountable, plural harms)

1. physical injury; hurt; damage

2. emotional or figurative hurt
3. detriment; misfortune.

4. That which causes injury, damage, or loss.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "harm": bodily, physical, environmental, emotional, financial, serious, irreparable, potential, long-term, short-term, permanent, lasting, material, substantial.

Translations

Verb

harm (third-person singular simple present harms, present participle harming, simple past and past participle harmed)

1. To cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something.

Translations

Derived terms

Anagrams

• Hmar, mahr

Icelandic

Noun

harm

1. indefinite accusative singular of harmur

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ha???m?/

Noun

harm

1. h-prothesized form of arm

Middle English

Alternative forms

• harem, arme, herme

Etymology

From Old English hearm, from Proto-West Germanic *harm.

Noun

harm (plural harms)

1. harm, injury, ruination

Descendants

• English: harm
• Scots: herm, hairm
• Yola: harrm

References

• “harm, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *harmaz.

Noun

harm m

1. harm

Descendants

• Middle Low German: harm, herm

English

Etymology

From Latin aspersi?nem, from aspersi? (“sprinkling”).

Noun

aspersion (plural aspersions)

1. An attack on somebody's reputation or good name, often in the phrase to cast aspersions upon…. [from late 16th c.]

   Synonyms: calumny, slander; see also Thesaurus:slander
2. (obsolete) A sprinkling, especially of holy water.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 4 scene 1

     If thou dost break her virgin knot before

     All sanctimonious ceremonies may

     With full and holy rite be minister'd,

     No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall

     To make this contract grow; but barren hate […]

3. (in the plural) slander, calumny

Derived terms

• cast aspersions

Translations

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “aspersion”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• repassion

French

Noun

aspersion f (plural aspersions)

1. aspersion
2. sprinkling