Effrontery
/ɪˈfrʌntəri/noun
Bold or shamelessly disrespectful behavior.
Did you know?Its ancestor described someone “barefaced” or shameless, preserving the ancient idea that a person’s forehead visibly revealed their audacity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhront-
“Forehead or brow; the reconstructed ancestral source associated with the front of the head”
Classical Latin
Latin
frōns, frontis
“Forehead, brow, or front”
Classical Latin
Latin
effrōns, effrontis
“Barefaced or shameless; literally having an exposed forehead”
16th Century
French
effronté
“Shameless, impudent, or brazen”
16th–17th Century
French
effronterie
“Shamelessness or impudence”
17th Century
English
effrontery
“Shameless boldness or insolence”
Modern English
English
effrontery
“Audaciously disrespectful behavior”