Main Entry:

¹af·front

Pronunciation:

\ə-ˈfrənt\

Function:

transitive verb

Etymology:

Middle English afronten, from Anglo-French afrunter to defy, from Vulgar Latin *affrontare, from Latin ad- + front-, frons forehead

Date:

14th century

1 a: to insult especially to the face by behavior or language b: to cause offense to <a system of law about both family and marriage that affronted lay society — J. H. Mundy>2 a: to face in defiance : confront <affront death> bobsolete : to encounter face-to-face3: to appear directly before

synonyms see offend