af ‧ fect S2 W1 AC /əˈfekt/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Sense 1-2: Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of afficere 'to influence' , from ad- 'to' + facere 'to do' ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: affecter , from Latin affectare , from afficere ]
1 . to do something that produces an effect or change in something or in someone’s situation:
the areas affected by the hurricane
a disease that affects the central nervous system
decisions which affect our lives
Trading has been adversely affected by the downturn in consumer spending.
2 . [usually passive] to make someone feel strong emotions:
We were all deeply affected by her death.
3 . formal to pretend to have a particular feeling, way of speaking etc:
As usual, Simon affected complete boredom.
He used to affect a foreign accent.