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Harsh

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harsh¹

  • /ˈhɑːʃ/ UK
  • [ˈhɑːʃ] UK
  • /ˈhäːʃ/ Australia
  • [ˈhäːʃ] ~ /ˈhɐ̞ːʃ/ Australia
  • [ˈhɐ̞ːʃ] Australia
  • /ˈhɑɹʃ/ US
  • [ˈhɑɹʃ] US
  • /ˈhæʃ/ obsolete
  • [ˈhæʃ] obsolete

Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)ʃ

Where it comes from

From Middle English harsk, harisk(e), hask(e), herris. Century derived the term from Old Norse harskr (whence Danish harsk (“rancid”), dialectal Norwegian hersk, Swedish härsk, Swedish härsken); the Middle English Dictionary derives it from that and Middle Low German harsch (“rough”, literally “hairy”) (whence also German harsch), from haer (“hair”), from Old Saxon hār, from Proto-West Germanic *hār; the Oxford Dictionary of English derives it from Middle Low German alone.

adjective harsher · more harsh · harshest · most harsh

  1. Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses.
  2. Severe or cruel. harsh decision

verb harshes · harshing · harshed

  1. ambitransitive, slang To negatively criticize. Quit harshing me already, I said that I was sorry!
  2. ambitransitive, slang To put a damper on (a mood). Dude, you're harshing my buzz.

Similar: rough

Harsh²

Where it comes from

From the German surname, Americanized from Harsch, from the adjective harsch.

proper noun Harshes

  1. A surname.

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