Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
AFFRONT
I. transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English afronten, from Anglo-French afrunter to defy, from Vulgar Latin *affrontare, 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