English
affront
Affront comes from Middle English afrounten ‘to insult, affront’, from Old French afronter ‘to hit in the face’, and ultimately from Vulgar Latin *affrontare.
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*affrontare‘to hit in the face’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400afronter‘to hit in the face’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afrounten‘to insult, affront’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602affront
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*affrontare‘to hit in the face’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400afronter‘to hit in the face’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afrounten‘to insult, affront’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602affront
Earliest quotation: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “Sweet Gertrude leaue vs too, / For we haue…”
A compound of ad ‘to’ + frōns ‘forehead’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd ‘near, at’
Proto-Italic *ad ‘toward, to, on, up to, for’
Latin ad ‘to’
Every English word from Vulgar Latin *affrontare
Today it means
verb To insult intentionally, especially openly.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Vulgar Latin *affrontare / affront