I. ˈaˌfekt, aˈf-, əˈf- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin affectus disposition, affection, desire, from affectus, past participle of afficere
1. obsolete : feeling , emotion
2.
[German affekt, from Latin affectus ]
psychology : the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes
II. əˈfekt, (ˈ)a|f- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle French & Latin; Middle French affecter, from Latin affectare, freq. of afficere to exert an influence, to bestow, apply oneself, from ad- + -ficere (from facere to do) — more at do
transitive verb
1. archaic : to aim at : aspire to : try to attain
this proud man affects imperial sway — John Dryden
2.
a. archaic : to have affection for (a person or object)
as for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved her — Thomas Fuller
b. : to be given to : fancy
affect a precise way of speaking
affect brightly colored clothing
3. : to make a display of liking or using : cultivate or profess ostentatiously
it was the habit of the moment at Oxford to affect irreverence — T.B.Costain
4. : to assume the character or appearance of : put on a pretense of : pretend , feign , counterfeit
affect indifference
youthfulness is something she has to affect — E.R.Bentley
Lewis at first affected to receive these propositions coolly — T.B.Macaulay
5. : to tend toward
drops of water affect roundness
6. : to be frequently or habitually found in : frequent
swallows that affect chimneys
she was employed far away from the table which I affected — Arnold Bennett
intransitive verb
obsolete : incline 2
Synonyms: see assume
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin affectus, past participle
1. : to act upon:
a. : to produce an effect (as of disease) upon
a condition affecting the heart
b.
(1) : to produce a material influence upon or alteration in
rainfall affects plant growth
areas to be affected by highway construction
(2) : to have a detrimental influence on — used especially in the phrase affecting commerce
c. : to make an impression on (as the mind or the feelings)
the physical details that had once affected her so deeply — Ellen Glasgow
: influence
the only law on the books affecting the conduct of the individual — Zechariah Chafee
2. : assign , allot
endowment funds affected to the provision of scholarships
Synonyms:
influence , touch , impress , strike , sway : affect applies to a stimulus strong enough to bring about a reaction, sometimes emotional, or bring about some modification, usually without total change
a sentence about the weather, and how it affected her joints — Floyd Dell
I was more than a little unstrung. Those long weeks of solitude had affected my nerves — Jack McLaren
the crop in China would have been larger had not flood damage adversely affected the yields — Collier's Year Book
influence applies to a force that brings about a change or determines a course or stand
the general political views of John Quincy Adams strongly influenced him, though he was not attracted by the example and methods of the older man — W.C.Ford
the British expressed views still strongly influenced by nineteenth-century concepts of diplomacy and imperialism — Vera M. Dean
she influenced profoundly the history of her people by her political acumen as minister without portfolio — Americana Annual
touch , similar to affect but more vivid, may suggest forceful or emotional arousing, stirring, or impinging on
they do care! their hearts are touched. We can do anything with them now — Hugh Walpole
a small object whose exquisite workmanship has touched me with its intimate charm — Jean S. Untermeyer
impress may suggest a deep lasting effect
the populace was impressed because the president in person had heeded the call of a poor farmer — H.F.Wilkins
his appeal was to fear, and he so impressed his hearers that frequently they fell to the floor or shrieked in terror — H.E.Starr
strike is more likely to suggest sudden sharp perception or reaction
with a note in her voice that struck them all awake and fearful — Grace Campbell
she was struck silent by her love — Ethel Wilson
we may be struck with a sense of otherness, of unfamiliarity, and we seek orientation in terms of what we already know — A.C.Danto
sway often applies to influences that are either not resisted or have such force that resistance is overcome, with resulting change in the subject's nature or course
capricious deities, swayed by human passions and desires — G.L.Dickinson
it is generally conceded that phrasing can sway opinions most easily when those opinions are not strongly held — S.L.Payne
the elemental forces which sway the spirit with immortal hopes and infinite terrors — Roger Fry