Effrontery (noun)Pronounced:
ih-FRUN-tuh-ree
Definition:
shameless boldness, insolence
Example Sentence:
I was embarrassed by my daugther’s effrontery when she told her grandmother she didn’t want the ugly, crocheted sweater.
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The origin of “effrontery” comes from the Latin “effrons,” a word that combines the prefix "ex-" (meaning "out" or "without") and "frons" (meaning "forehead" or "brow").
Merrian-Webster explains, “Theorists aren't in full agreement about the connection between the modern meaning of ‘effrontery’ and the literal senses of its roots. Some explain that ‘frons’ can also refer to the capacity for blushing, so a person without ‘frons’ would be ‘unblushing’ or ‘shameless.’ Others theorize that since the Romans believed that the brow was the seat of a person's modesty, being without a brow meant being ‘immodest,’ or again, ‘shameless.’"
Bottom line? No one wants to be around a person with effrontery. So think before you speak; use your (fore)head.
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Definition and pronunciation taken from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
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