affront

From Middle English afrounten, from Old French afronter (“to defy”), from Vulgar Latin *affrontare (“to hit in the face”), from Latin ad (“to”) + frōns (“forehead”) (English front).

• IPA^(key): /əˈfɹʌnt/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌnt

affront (third-person singular simple present affronts, present participle affronting, simple past and past participle affronted)

1. To insult intentionally, especially openly.
   • 1701–03, Joseph Addison, “The Isle of Caprea”, in Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c., published 1721, page 92:

     But beſides, that ſuch a though was inconſiſtent with the gravity of a Senate, how can one imagine that the Fathers would have dared affront the Wife of Aurelius, and the Mother of Commodus, or that they could think of giving offence to an Empreſs whom they afterwards Defied, and to an Emperor that was the darling of the army and people?

2. To meet defiantly; to confront.

   to affront death

   • 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia, Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), p. 436:

     Avignon was beginning to settle down for the night – that long painful stretch of time which must somehow be affronted.

3. (obsolete) To meet or encounter face to face.
   • 1601, Philemon Holland, transl., The History of the World, volume I, translation of Naturalis Historia by Pliny the Elder, published 1634, book VI, page 124:

     Many Iſlands there lie all over that ſea : but one above the reſt, and moſt renowned, is Tazata : for thither all the ſhipping from out of the Caſpian ſea and the Scythian Ocean, doe bend their courſe and there arrive : for that all the ſea coaſts doe affront the Levant, and turne into the Eaſt.

   • c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene i], page 265, column 1:

     Sweet Gertrude leaue vs too, / For we haue cloſely ſent for Hamlet hither, / That he, as ’twere by accident, may there / Affront Ophelia.

• See also Thesaurus:offend

affront (plural affronts)

1. An open or intentional offense, slight, or insult.

   Such behavior is an affront to society.

   • 1610, Ben Jonson, “The Alchemist”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson, London: Will Stansby, published 1616, Act II, scene ii, page 620:

     This day, thou ſhalt haue ingots : and, to morrow, / Giue lords th’ affront.

2. (obsolete) A hostile encounter or meeting.

• See also Thesaurus:offense

• effrontery

From Old French afront. Synchronically analysable as a deverbal of affronter.

• IPA^(key): /a.fʁɔ̃/

• audio

  (file)

affront m (plural affronts)

1. affront, insult, snub

• afront

• “affront” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• offrant

• IPA^(key): /əˈfrɔnt/

affront (third-person singular present affronts, present participle affrontin, past affrontit, past participle affrontit)

1. to affront; cause to feel ashamed; cause to blush; to humiliate (in front of others), to offend (not necessarily with intention)

• Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.