Accost
/əˈkɒst/noun
To approach and speak to someone boldly or aggressively.
Did you know?Accost entered English through French from Latin roots meaning ‘to lie beside’—a reminder that some words for confrontation began as words of physical closeness, not violence.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
costāre
“to stand at the side; to be beside”
Late Latin
Latin
accostāre
“to come to the side of; to approach”
Old French
Old French
acoster
“to approach, come near, address”
14th–15th Century
Middle English
accosten
“to approach, come up to; later, to address boldly”
Modern English
English
accost
“to approach and speak to someone boldly or aggressively”