Plural form of 'fracas,' meaning multiple noisy disputes, brawls, or chaotic situations involving many people.
From French 'fracas' (a crash or collision), derived from Italian 'fracasso' (from 'fracassare,' to shatter), ultimately from Latin 'frangere' (to break). The term evolved to mean loud, broken disorder.
A fracas is beautifully named—the word itself sounds like breaking glass and shouting, so 'fracases' captures the chaotic energy of multiple outbursts, which is why fight scenes in old adventure novels always involve fracases rather than quiet disputes.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.