affray
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
affray
- /əˈfɹeɪ/
Rhymes with -eɪ
Where it comes from
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.
verb affrays · affraying · affrayed · afray
- To startle from quiet; to alarm.
- To frighten; to scare; to frighten away. That voice doth us affray.
noun affrays · afray
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Terror. full of ghastly fright and cold affray
