AFFECT

affect

(noun) the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion

affect

(verb) act physically on; have an effect upon; “the medicine affects my heart rate”

affect, impact, bear upon, bear on, touch on, touch

(verb) have an effect upon; “Will the new rules affect me?”

feign, sham, pretend, affect, dissemble

(verb) make believe with the intent to deceive; “He feigned that he was ill”; “He shammed a headache”

affect, impress, move, strike

(verb) have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; “This child impressed me as unusually mature”; “This behavior struck me as odd”; “he was dumb-struck by the news”; “her comments struck a sour note”

involve, affect, regard

(verb) connect closely and often incriminatingly; “This new ruling affects your business”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Verb

affect (third-person singular simple present affects, present participle affecting, simple past and past participle affected)

(transitive) To influence or alter.

Synonyms: alter, change, have an effect on, have an impact on, influence

(transitive) To move to emotion.

Synonyms: move, touch

(transitive, pathology) Of an illness or condition, to infect or harm (a part of the body).

Synonyms: attack, harm, infect

(transitive, archaic) To dispose or incline.

(transitive, archaic) To tend to by affinity or disposition.

(transitive, archaic) To assign; to appoint.

Usage notes

Affect and effect are sometimes confused because they are homophones in American English. Affect conveys influence over something that already exists, but effect indicates the manifestation of new or original ideas or entities

• “...new policies have effected major changes in government.”

• “...new policies have affected major changes in government.”

The former indicates that major changes were made as a result of new policies, while the latter indicates that before new policies, major changes were in place, and that the new policies had some influence over these existing changes.

The verbal noun uses of affect are distinguished from the verbal noun uses of effect more clearly than the regular verb forms. An affect is something that acts or acted upon something else. However, an effect is the result of an action (by something else).

Etymology 2

Verb

affect (third-person singular simple present affects, present participle affecting, simple past and past participle affected)

(transitive) To make a show of; to put on a pretence of; to feign; to assume. To make a false display of. [from 16th c.]

(obsolete, transitive) To aim for, to try to obtain. [15th-19th c.]

(transitive, now rare) To feel affection for (someone); to like, be fond of. [from 16th c.]

(transitive, obsolete) To show a fondness for (something); to choose. [from 16th c.]

Synonyms

• (make a false display of): fake, simulate, feign

Etymology 3

Noun

affect (plural affects)

(obsolete) One's mood or inclination; mental state. [14th-17th c.]

(obsolete) A desire, an appetite. [16th-17th c.]

(psychology) A subjective feeling experienced in response to a thought or other stimulus; mood, emotion, especially as demonstrated in external physical signs. [from 19th c.]

Usage notes

Affect and effect can both be used as nouns or verbs, but when used as a noun the word affect is limited to the above psychology uses and the definitions for effect are much more common. See also the usage notes as a verb above.

Source: Wiktionary

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Af*fect", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Affected; p. pr. & vb. n. Affecting.] Etym: [L. affectus, p. p. of afficere to affect by active agency; ad + facere to make: cf. F. affectere, L. affectare, freq. of afficere. See Fact.]

1. To act upon; to produce an effect or change upon. As might affect the earth with cold heat. Milton. The climate affected their health and spirits. Macaulay.

2. To influence or move, as the feelings or passions; to touch. A consideration of the rationale of our passions seems to me very necessary for all who would affect them upon solid and pure principles.

3. To love; to regard with affection. [Obs.] As for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved, her. Fuller.

4. To show a fondness for; to like to use or practice; to choose; hence, to frequent habitually. For he does neither affect company, nor is he fit for Shak. Do not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great. Hazlitt.

5. To dispose or incline. Men whom they thought best affected to religion and their country's liberty. Milton.

6. To aim at; to aspire; to covet. [Obs.] This proud man affects imperial Dryden.

7. To tend to by affinity or disposition. The drops of every fluid affect a round figure. Newton.

8. To make a show of; to put on a pretense of; to feign; to assume; as, to affect ignorance. Careless she is with artful care, Affecting to seem unaffected. Congreve. Thou dost affect my manners. Shak.

9. To assign; to appoint. [R.] One of the domestics was affected to his special service. Thackeray.

Syn.

– To influence; operate; act on; concern; move; melt; soften; subdue; overcome; pretend; assume.

Af*fect", n. Etym: [L. affectus.]

Definition: Affection; inclination; passion; feeling; disposition. [Obs.] Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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