precious stone, c.1300, from Anglo-French jaspre, Old French jaspre, jaspe, from Latin iaspidem (nominative iaspis), from Greek iaspis "jasper," via an Oriental language (cf. Hebrew yashpeh, Akkadian yashupu).
masc. proper name, English form of Caspar or of Gaspar, the traditional name of one of the Three Kings. Said by Klein to be of Persian origin and meaning literally "treasure-holder." Used from 1896 for "a rustic simpleton."
(Heb. yashpheh, "glittering"), a gem of various colours, one of the twelve inserted in the high priest's breast-plate (Ex. 28:20). It is named in the building of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18, 19). It was "most precious," "clear as crystal" (21:11). It was emblematic of the glory of God (4:3).
unincorporated place, western Alberta, Canada. It lies at the confluence of the Athabasca and Miette rivers, near the British Columbia border, and is the headquarters of Jasper National Park. Jasper Hawes of the North West Company established a fur-trading post on nearby Jasper Lake about 1801. Since the conservation of the area (1907) as a national park and the building of the Jasper Park Lodge (1922) and the Jasper-Banff highway, the locality, overlooked by spectacular peaks, has become a popular Canadian Rocky Mountain resort. Maligne and Pyramid lakes, Miette Hotsprings, and the Columbia Icefield are among the local attractions. Jasper is also a divisional point on the Canadian National Railway. Pop. (1981) 3,269.