To face boldly or confront with disrespect; to behave toward someone without proper respect or shame.
From Middle French 'effronter', combining 'ef-' (out) and 'front' (forehead/face). The root sense is 'to put a bold face on' or literally 'to show your forehead boldly,' implying shameless audacity.
The word literally describes putting your forehead forward—and historically, a person's forehead and face were symbols of honor and shame, so showing it boldly to someone of higher status was a supreme insult. That's why 'effront' means both to confront AND to be disrespectful.
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