affect 1
— affectable , adj. — affectability , n.
v. /euh fekt"/ ; n. /af"ekt/ , v.t.
1. to act on; produce an effect or change in: Cold weather affected the crops.
2. to impress the mind or move the feelings of: The music affected him deeply.
3. (of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.
n.
4. Psychol. feeling or emotion.
5. Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response: Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.
6. Obs. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.
[ 1350-1400; ME affectus acted upon, subjected to; mental or emotional state (ptp. and action n. of afficere ), equiv. to af- AF- + fec- (comb. form of facere to make, do) + -tus action n. suffix or -tus ptp. suffix ]
Syn. 1. influence, sway; modify, alter. 2. touch, stir.
Usage . AFFECT 1 and EFFECT, each both noun and verb, share the sense of "influence," and because of their similarity in pronunciation are sometimes confused in writing. As a verb AFFECT 1 means "to act on" or "to move" ( His words affected the crowd so deeply that many wept ); AFFECT 2 means "to pretend" or "to assume" ( new students affecting a nonchalance they didn't feel ). The verb EFFECT means "to bring about, accomplish": Her administration effected radical changes. The noun EFFECT means "result, consequence": the serious effects of the oil spill. The noun AFFECT 1 pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, is a technical term in psychology and psychiatry. AFFECT 2 is not used as a noun.
affect 2
— affecter , n.
/euh fekt"/ , v.t.
1. to give the appearance of; pretend or feign: to affect knowledge of the situation.
2. to assume artificially, pretentiously, or for effect: to affect a Southern accent.
3. to use, wear, or adopt by preference; choose; prefer: the peculiar costume he affected.
4. to assume the character or attitude of: to affect the freethinker.
5. (of things) to tend toward habitually or naturally: a substance that affects colloidal form.
6. (of animals and plants) to occupy or inhabit; live in or on: Lions affect Africa. Moss affects the northern slopes.
7. Archaic.
a. to have affection for; fancy.
b. to aim at; aspire to.
v.i.
8. Obs. to incline, tend, or favor (usually fol. by to ): He affects to the old ways.
[ 1400-50; late ME affecter affectare to strive after, feign (freq. of afficere to do to), equiv. to af- AF- + fec- (see AFFECT 1 ) + -tare freq. suffix ]
Syn. 1. See pretend .
Usage . See affect 1 .