Where does “asper” come from?

asper (Middle English) comes from Italian aspro, from Ancient Greek ἄσπρον, from Latin asper, from Proto-Indo-European h₂esp- — to cut.

Ancestry of “asper”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Italian	aspro	sharp, tart; sour, pungent, bitter; rugged
2	Ancient Greek	ἄσπρον	—
3	Latin	asper	rough, uneven, coarse; unrefined, rude; sharp,...
4	Proto-Indo-European	h₂esp-	to cut