Legal Definitions - affranchise

Definition: To set free; to liberate from servitude or an obligation.

Example: The abolition of slavery in the United States affranchised millions of people who were previously held in bondage.

This term is archaic and not commonly used in modern English. The example illustrates how the act of abolishing slavery affranchised those who were previously enslaved, freeing them from their servitude and obligation to their masters.

Definition: The fighting, by mutual consent, of two or more persons in some public place, to the terror of onlookers.

Example: The police were called to break up an affray between two men who were fighting in the middle of the street.

This example illustrates how an affray involves two or more people who have mutually agreed to fight in a public place, causing fear and alarm to those who witness it. It is different from a one-sided attack, which would be considered assault and battery. An affray can also be distinguished from a riot or unlawful assembly, which involve larger groups of people and may be premeditated.