- affect
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affect1
—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 < L 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. AFFECT1 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 AFFECT1 means "to act on" or "to move" (His words affected the crowd so deeply that many wept); AFFECT2 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 AFFECT1 pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, is a technical term in psychology and psychiatry. AFFECT2 is not used as a noun.affect2—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 < MF affecter < L affectare to strive after, feign (freq. of afficere to do to), equiv. to af- AF- + fec- (see AFFECT1) + -tare freq. suffix]
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Universalium. 2010.