ásperas

Ásperas is the feminine plural form of the adjective áspero in Spanish and Portuguese, used to describe rough or coarse textures, surfaces, or harsh, severe actions or behavior. The root comes from Latin asper, meaning rough. In both languages, the masculine singular is áspero, the feminine singular is áspera, and the masculine and feminine plurals are ásperos and ásperas, respectively. The form ásperas specifically refers to multiple feminine nouns, for example paredes ásperas (rough walls) or críticas ásperas (harsh criticisms).

In usage, áspera or ásperas can modify physical properties such as piel áspera (rough skin) or climate áspero (harsh climate). It can also describe non-physical attributes, including speech or conduct: un trato áspero or críticas ásperas. The word is common in descriptive prose and conveys a tangible or immediate roughness, sometimes with a connotation of bluntness or severity.

The noun form more commonly used to denote roughness is aspereza or asperidad rather than áspera. The feminine plural ásperas appears mainly when agreeing with feminine plural nouns. Related terms include áspero (masculine singular), áspera (feminine singular), aspereza (roughness), and asperidad (roughness, roughness degree).

See also: áspero, áspera, aspereza, asperidad.