rasp

[rasp, rahsp]

verb (used with object)

1. to scrape or abrade with a rough instrument.

2. to scrape or rub roughly.

   The glacier rasped the valley floor.

3. to grate upon or irritate.

   The sound rasped his nerves.

4. to utter with a grating sound.

   to rasp out an answer.

verb (used without object)

1. to scrape or grate.

2. to make a grating sound.

noun

1. an act of rasping.

2. a rasping sound.

3. a coarse file, used mainly on wood, having separate conical teeth.

4. (in an insect) a roughened surface used in stridulation.

rasp

¹

/ rɑːsp /

noun

1. a harsh grating noise

2. a coarse file with rows of raised teeth

verb

1. (tr) to scrape or rub (something) roughly, esp with a rasp; abrade

2. to utter with or make a harsh grating noise

3. to irritate (one's nerves or senses); grate (upon)

rasp

²

/ rɑːsp /

noun

1. an informal or Scot word for raspberry

Other Word Forms

• rasper noun
• raspish adjective
• unrasped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rasp¹

1200–50; Middle English raspen < Old French rasper to scrape, grate < Germanic; rape ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of rasp¹

C16: from Old French raspe , of Germanic origin; compare Old High German raspōn to scrape

Example Sentences

Her voice remains a strong point - resonant and flexible, with a hint of the rasp she inherited from her father, Albanian rock singer Dukajin Lipa.

From BBC

To play Springsteen, White studied hundreds of archive videos to capture the singer's characteristic New Jersey rasp and athletic stage moves.

From BBC

Murray is good, delivering threats in an East Coast rasp and maximizing the dispassion in his eyes.

From Los Angeles Times

On Saturday, however, all three of his goals came from open play – including a rasping long-range drive in the second half to complete his hat-trick.

From BBC

Lefty Gunplay, a relentless MC from the atypical rap neighborhood of Baldwin Park, has perhaps the shortest cameo on the record — repeating a four-word outro on the smash hit “tv off” in his trademark rasp.

From Los Angeles Times