Link Centre Dictionary

affect

af·fect

UK/ˈæ.fɛkt/ US/ʌˈfɛkt/ common

verb

1.

have an effect upon

  • “Will the new rules affect me?”
2.

act physically on; have an effect upon

3.

connect closely and often incriminatingly

  • “This new ruling affects your business”
4.

make believe with the intent to deceive

  • “He feigned that he was ill”
  • “He shammed a headache”
5.

have an emotional or cognitive impact upon

  • “This child impressed me as unusually mature”
  • “This behavior struck me as odd”

noun

Origin

From Middle English affecten, from Anglo-Norman affecter (“strive after”), Middle French affecter (“feign”), and their source, Latin affectāre (“to strive after, aim to do, pursue, imitate with dissimulation, feign”), frequentative of afficere (“to act upon, influence”) (see Etymology 1, above).

Phrases

  • affect display
  • flat affect
  • labile affect
  • pseudobulbar affect

Related words

Related verbs

Causes

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.