I. ə̇ˈfekt, eˈ-, ēˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin effectus, from effectus, past participle of efficere to bring about, accomplish, effect, from ex- + -ficere (from facere to make, do) — more at do
1. : something that is produced by an agent or cause : something that follows immediately from an antecedent : a resultant condition : result , outcome
low mortality, the effect of excellent social services available in every village — William Petersen
as tolerance develops, the addict needs more and more of the drug to give him the same effect he originally obtained from a small dose — D.W.Maurer & V.H.Vogel
his feet in the most appalling state from the effects of porcupine quills — James Stevenson-Hamilton
2.
a. : purpose , intention , end
as a boy he had gone to work early to the effect that he might help out his parents
b. : the result of purpose or intention : advantage
employed his knowledge to little effect in the development of his organization
3. : an outward sign : manifestation , appearance
the sky effects by day and night are grander — Wilfrid Eggleston
4. obsolete : accomplishment , fulfillment
5. obsolete : something acquired as the expected result of an action
6. : reality , fact — now used only in the phrase in effect
the guilder became in effect convertible with other currencies in free Continental Europe — Alan Valentine
7. : power to bring about a result : operative force : influence
the effect of wind in changing tide levels — Geographical Review
the effect of great demand upon supply
all of the children in the schoolroom felt the effect of her happiness — Sherwood Anderson
8. effects plural : movable property : goods
her household effects were sold at auction but her clothing, jewelry, and other personal effects were given away
9.
a. : a distinctive impression upon the human senses
a concentration on detail at a cost to total effect — Irving Kolodin
achieves amazing effects with his woodcuts — José Gómez-Siere
decorated in yellow, which increased the effect of lightness — Sheila Kaye-Smith
also : the creation of a desired impression
her sobs were purely for effect
b. : something designed to produce such an impression
never have we been so bombarded with trick effects — 3-D, cinemascope, panoramic screens — John Baker
the technique of sound effects was extremely limited and used only … for such things as doorbells — Richard Hubbell
10. : the quality or state of being operative
the subcommittee's recommendations were quickly given effect — W.R.Langdon
the court will not give effect to a judgment based on unfair proceedings
specifically : operation
a commission was set up to carry the new proposals into effect
the agreement will have to be approved by a majority before it can go into effect
the same excises and corporate tax rates that are now in effect — William Fellner
— compare take effect at take
11. : basic meaning : tenor , essence
12. : a specific scientific phenomenon named usually for its discoverer
Faraday effect
13. : one in a series of evaporators
Synonyms:
result , consequence , upshot , aftereffect , aftermath , sequel , issue , outcome , event : these ten nouns are similar in signifying something, usually a condition, situation, or occurrence, ascribable to a cause or combination of causes. effect is the correlative of the word cause and in general use implies something necessarily and directly following upon or occurring by reason of the cause, generally applying to intangibles such as bodily or social conditions or states of mind or feeling
the effect of the medicine was an intermittent dizziness
the effect of the speech was immediate governmental reform
tanning is the effect of exposure to sunlight
the effects of the hurricane were visible in roofless houses and uprooted trees
result , close to effect in meaning, implies a direct relationship with an antecedent action or condition though possibly less direct than effect , usually suggesting an effect in the character of a termination of the operation of a cause, and applying more commonly than effect to tangible objects
the result of the investigation was a scandalous exposure of corruption
his limp was the result of an automobile accident
the result of the marriage was a family of seven children
the subsiding flood or surface waters cause mineral deposits and the result is a mound — Alice Duncan-Kemp
consequence may suggest a direct but looser or more remote connection with a cause than either effect or result , usually implying an adverse or calamitous effect and often suggesting a chain of intermediate causes or a complexity of effect
one of the consequences of his ill-advised conduct was a loss of prestige
his poor health is a consequence of early privation
both good and bad consequences can follow upon the acquisition of much leisure
upshot often implies a climax or conclusion in a series of consequent occurrences, or the most conclusive point of a single complex gradual consequence
we spent the time swimming at Glenelg and dancing at the Palais Royal in the city. The upshot was that, before we left … we were engaged — Rex Ingamells
they won the battle, and the upshot was a short-lived bourgeois republic — Roy Lewis & Angus Maude
the upshot of the whole matter was that there was no wedding — Padraic Colum
aftereffect and aftermath both usually designate secondary rather than direct or immediate effects. aftereffect besides designating a secondary effect sometimes suggests a side effect but more generally implies an effect ascribable to a previous effect that has become a cause
the aftereffects of an atomic-bomb explosion — Current Biography
although the pioneer effort had reached a dead end, its aftereffects were all too apparent — Dayton Kohler
to the left of the highway the blackened appearance is the aftereffect of a fire that has recently swept across the flat — G.R.Stewart
the aftereffects of the war were a general disorder and confusion
aftermath , often suggesting a more complex effect or generalized condition than aftereffect , usually carries the notion of belated consequences that appear after the effects, especially disastrous effects, seem to have passed
the serious dislocations in the world as an aftermath of war — U.S. Code
the aftermath of the epidemic in Memphis was worse than the dismal days of Reconstruction — American Guide Series: Tennessee
asbestos dust has the same effect as silica, the resulting disease being known as “asbestosis”, with pulmonary tuberculosis as the aftermath — V.M.Ehlers & E.W.Steel
sequel is usually used to signify a result that follows after an interval
spinal curvature … may be a symptom or a sequel to many different diseases — Morris Fishbein
she lay rigid experiencing the sequel to the pain, an ideal terror — Jean Stafford
issue , the way something, for example an argument, comes out, carries strongly the notion of result as a solution or resolution
a contest of wits between the criminal and the police — usually aided in fiction by a quicker-witted private detective — a contest in which the issue is still the greatest and gravest of all, life or death — A.C.Ward
the war was by then obviously proceeding toward a successful issue — F.M.Ford
outcome , interchangeable with result or with issue , possibly carries the notion of less finality than does issue
the outcome of the presidential election
the enduring organisms are now the outcome of evolution — A.N.Whitehead
one outcome of this report was the formation of the Southern Conference for Human Welfare — Current Biography
his book is the outcome of two years' travels in India, China, and Siam — Geographical Journal
event , rare and somewhat archaic in the sense pertinent here, of outcome or result, usually carries the notion of an unpredictable or unforeseeable outcome
the happiness of Rome appeared to hang on the event of a race — Edward Gibbon
he employed himself at Edinburgh till the event of the conflict between the court and the Whigs was no longer doubtful — T.B.Macaulay
the calm assumption that I should live long enough to carry out my extensive plan at leisure … has in the event been justified — Havelock Ellis
•
- in effect
- to the effect
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to cause to come into being : produce
specific genes effect specific bodily characters
2.
a. : to bring about especially through successful use of factors contributory to the result : accomplish , execute
passage could be effected only by way of certain transverse valleys and high passes — W.G.East
the Romans who, with superb political skill, effected the unification of Italy — Benjamin Farrington
minor repairs to the road were effected during the summer
— compare affect III 1
b. : to put into effect
consistently taken the position that the function of the president is to effect the public will — R.H.Rovere
Synonyms: see perform