'asperse' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'aspergere', where 'ad-' (assimilated to 'asp-') meant 'to, toward' and 'spargere'/'spergere' meant 'to sprinkle'.

'asperse' changed from Latin 'aspergere' (literally 'to sprinkle') through Old French/Anglo-French forms such as 'asperser' and Middle English adaptations, eventually becoming the modern English verb 'asperse'.

Initially it meant 'to sprinkle' (literally), but over time it evolved into the figurative meaning 'to bespatter' or 'to tarnish someone's reputation' (i.e., 'to defame').