[af.front] vt [ME afronten, fr. MF afronter to defy, fr. (assumed) VL affrontare, fr. L ad- + front-, frons forehead] (14c) 1 a: to insult esp. to the face by behavior or language b: to cause offense to "a system of law about both family and marriage that ~ed lay society --J. H. Mundy"
2. a: to face in defiance: confront "~ death" b obs: to encounter face-to-face
3: to appear directly before syn see offend
[2]affront n (1533) 1 obs: a hostile encounter
2: a deliberate offense: insult "an ~ to his dignity"