Meanings
present singular third person affrays · participle present affraying · participle past affrayed · past affrayed · alternative afray
- archaictransitiveTo startle from quiet; to alarm.
- archaictransitiveTo frighten; to scare; to frighten away.
That voice doth us affray.
c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]
plural affrays · alternative afray
- countableuncountableThe 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 - countableuncountableA 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 - countableuncountableThe 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.
- countableobsoleteuncountableTerror.
full of ghastly fright and cold affray
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*prāy-
- Proto-Germanic*friþuz“peace”
- Frankish*friþu“security, peace”
- Vulgar Latin*exfridāre
- Old Frencheffreer
- Anglo-Normanafrayer“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”
- Middle Englishaffraien“to terrify, frighten”
- Englishaffray
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.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian сбиване
- сбиване (sbivane)a sudden assault or quarrel
Catalan brega
- bregaa sudden assault or quarrel
Finnish kahakka, rähinä
- kahakkaa sudden assault or quarrel
- rähinäa sudden assault or quarrel
- rähäkkäa sudden assault or quarrel
Italian rissa
- rissaa sudden assault or quarrel
Māori kekeritanga
- kekeritangaa sudden assault or quarrel
Polish burda, awantura
- burdaa sudden assault or quarrel
- awanturaa sudden assault or quarrel
Portuguese briga, rixa
- brigaa sudden assault or quarrel
- rixaa sudden assault or quarrel
- desordema sudden assault or quarrel
- tumultoa sudden assault or quarrel
- motima sudden assault or quarrel
Tamil தகராறு, ரகளை
- தகராறு (takarāṟu)a sudden assault or quarrel
- ரகளை (rakaḷai)a sudden assault or quarrel
- கலாட்டா (kalāṭṭā)a sudden assault or quarrel
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with affray
All rhymes →Cite this entry
affray. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affray
“affray.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affray. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “affray,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affray.
Source: affray on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.