fracas

From French fracas, derived from fracasser, from Italian fracassare, from fra- + cassare, equivalent to Latin infra + quassare.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹækɑː/, /fɹəˈkɑː/
  • Plural: IPA^(key): /ˈfɹækɑːz/, /fɹəˈkɑːz/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹeɪkəs/, /ˈfɹækəs/

fracas (plural fracases or fracas)

1. A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap.
   • 1989, Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day, Faber 1999, paperback edition, p. 16,

     And I recall also some years ago, Mr Rayne, who travelled to America as valet to Sir Reginals Mauvis, remarking that a taxi driver in New York regularly addressed his fare in a manner which if repeated in London would end in some sort of fracas, if not in the fellow being frogmarched to the nearest police station.

   • 1964, Philip K. Dick, The Simulacra, Vintage Books 2002, paperback edition, p. 37,

     The Oregon-Northern California region had lost much of its population during the fracas of 1980; it had been heavily hit by Red Chinese guided missiles, and of course the clouds of fallout had blanketed it in the subsequent decade.

• brouhaha
• kerfuffle
• melee

• quash

• Frasca, carsaf

Probably an independent derivation from fracasser, from Italian fracassare. Alternatively directly borrowed from Italian fracasso, from the same verb.

• IPA^(key): /fʁa.kɑ/

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fracas m (plural fracas)

1. crash
2. din, roar

• “fracas” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

fracas

1. Feminine plural of adjective fraco.