affray
noun
[ əˈfreɪ ]
• an instance of group fighting in a public place that disturbs the peace.
• "Lowe was charged with causing an affray"
Similar:
fight,
brawl,
battle,
engagement,
encounter,
confrontation,
melee,
clash,
skirmish,
scuffle,
tussle,
fracas,
altercation,
disturbance,
commotion,
breach of the peace,
riot,
scrap,
dust-up,
punch-up,
set-to,
shindy,
shindig,
free-for-all,
afters,
Origin:
Middle English (in the general sense ‘disturbance, fray’): from Anglo-Norman French afrayer ‘disturb, startle’, based on an element of Germanic origin related to Old English frithu ‘peace, safety’ (compare with German Friede ‘peace’).
