affray
nounEtymology
From Middle English affraien (“to terrify, frighten”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman afrayer (“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”) and Old French effreer, esfreer (“to disturb, remove the peace from”) (compare modern French effrayer), from Vulgar Latin *exfridāre. The second part of this is in turn from Frankish *friþu (“security, peace”), from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace”), from *frijōną (“to free; to love”), from Proto-Indo-European *prāy-, *prēy- (“to like, love”). Cognate with Old High German fridu (“peace”), Old English friþ (“peace, frith”), Old English frēod (“peace, friendship”), German Friede (“peace”). More at free, friend.
The act of suddenly disturbing anyone; an assault or attack.
- A 22-year-old man was also arrested in connection with the incident for affray towards attending paramedics.2015, 8 November, "Rugby league journalist Gary Carter critically ill after Bethnal Green attack", BBC News http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-34755963
A tumultuous assault or quarrel.
- The patient, who had a full view of the skirmish, was so tickled at the affray, that he burst into a laughter, which broke the quinsey, and cured him.1847, editorial staff, “Battle With the Hasty Pudding”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 3, Issue 10, page 74:
The fighting of two or more persons, in a public place, to the terror of others.
- The affray in the busy marketplace caused great terror and disorder.
Obsolete Terror.
- full of ghastly fright and cold affray1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- Related terms
- fray