Meaning

noun a public act of violence by an unruly mob

noun a state of disorder involving group violence

noun a joke that seems extremely funny

originFrom Middle English riot (“debauched living, dissipation”), from Old French riote (“debate”), from rioter (“to quarrel”), perhaps related to riboter or from Latin rugio (“to roar”). Compare French riotte and Occitan riòta.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0