fracas
UK[ˈfrækɑː]US[ˈfreɪkəs]
n
a noisy argument or fight, typically involving a group of people.
Etymology
the word 'fracas' entered english in the early 18th century directly from french, where it meant a loud noise or crash. the french term itself originated from the italian 'fracasso', a derivative of the verb 'fracassare', meaning 'to smash' or 'to shatter'. this italian verb is thought to be an intensive form based on the prefix 'fra-' (a variant of 'fra-', from latin 'infra', meaning 'below') combined with 'cassare', from latin 'quassare', meaning 'to shake' or 'to shatter'. thus, the etymological journey moves from the concept of violent shattering to the metaphorical sense of a noisy, shattering disturbance among people.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from french and is not productively segmented using english morphemes. its french origin is 'fracas', meaning 'noise', 'din', or 'crash'.
Examples
the political debate quickly descended into a heated fracas.
police were called to break up a fracas outside the nightclub.
the whole fracas could have been avoided with a simple apology.