I ran into the word affray while reading the Encyclopedia Brittanica, Thirteen Edition, had never heard of the term and had no idea what it meant….
merriam-webster.com
- archaic: FRAY, BRAWL
- chiefly British: a fight in a public place that disturbs the peace
noun
- a public fight; a noisy quarrel; brawl
- Law, the fighting of two or more persons in a public space
verb
- Archaic, to frighten
Affray is a somewhat old-fashioned word for an assault or public disturbance.
vocabulary.com
