Fracas
[FREY-kəs]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Italian, early 18th century
1.
A disorderly brawl
2.
A loud, outraged discussion
Examples of Fracas in a sentence
"Both teams were disqualified after the fracas on the court."
"The town council meeting turned into a fracas over the new zoning proposal. "
Popularity Over Time
About Fracas
If you throw yourself into the fray, you’ll find yourself in a fracas. You pronounce the first syllable of fracas like the word fray, with a long “A.” If you’re in the U.S. you’ll pronounce the “S” on the end, but drop it off if you’re using the Queen’s English.
Did you Know?
Fracas comes from the French verb “fracasser,” which means to smash violently. But the French got it from the Italians — “fracassare.” You can use fracas to describe any kind of noisy, crazy fight — physical or verbal.
