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con·front

(kən-frŭnt)

v. con·front·ed, con·front·ing, con·fronts

v.tr.

1. To come face to face with, especially with defiance or hostility: I wish to confront my accuser in a court of law.

2. To bring face to face with: The defendant was confronted with incontrovertible evidence of guilt.

3. To come up against; encounter: confronted danger at every turn.

v.intr.

To engage in confrontation: "She got no child support. [She] didn't argue or confront" (Gail Sheehy).

[French confronter, from Old French, to adjoin, from Medieval Latin cōnfrontāre : Latin com-, com- + Latin frōns, front-, front.]

con·fronter n.

con·frontment n.

confron·ta′tive adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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