Accosting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Approaching a person directly and confronting them in a bold or aggressive manner
2. Initiating contact with someone in a forward or challenging way
3. Coming up to an individual to speak to them assertively or confrontationally

Etymology: The verb "accost" carries a whole scene inside it: its root meaning is simply to stand next to someone. It descends from Old French "acoster," built from "a-" and "coste," meaning "side" or "flank." Medieval Latin later borrowed the idea as "accostare," and the notion of drawing up alongside someone passed into Middle French as "accoster." The side-by-side image is the key to the whole history, because a person who stands at your flank is close enough to speak to you. From standing beside someone to speaking to them is a short step, and that step is what shaped the modern sense. To accost someone is to approach them first, often without invitation, and to address them directly. The change from a neutral, physical sense of proximity to a sense of unwelcome or bold confrontation happened gradually as the word moved through French into English. The present form "accosting" keeps that forward-leaning sense of approaching someone who has not asked to be approached.

Synonyms: confronting, approaching, addressing, engaging, challenging

Antonyms: ignoring, avoiding, shunning, disregarding, neglecting