AFFRONT

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English afronten, from Anglo-French afrunter to defy, from Vulgar Latin *~are, from Latin ad- + front-, frons forehead Date: 14th century 1. to insult especially to the face by behavior or language, to cause offense to , 2. to face in defiance ; confront , to encounter face-to-face, to appear directly before, see: offend II. noun Date: 1533 a hostile encounter, a deliberate offense ; insult