Sparage

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An old or dialect name for asparagus, the edible green shoots of a cultivated garden plant
2. A archaic term for the tender young spears of the asparagus plant eaten as a vegetable
3. A variant form of the word for asparagus, the spring shoots harvested and cooked as food

Etymology: "Disparage" once meant to marry beneath one's rank. It comes from Old French "desparagier", built from "des-", a prefix of negation like "dis-", and "parage", meaning equality of birth or station. That word traces back to "per", a peer. To disparage someone was to make an unequal match that lowered the family's standing. "Sparage" appears as an obsolete spelling of the same verb, with the negating prefix dropped. The sense moved from social dishonour through a marriage to a broader idea of lowering someone's reputation or worth by speech.

Synonyms: disparage, belittle, decry

Antonyms: praise, extol