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Added 29 September 2026

affect

/əˈfɛkt/ verb

Latin root: affectāre Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about affect at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To influence or alter.
The experience affected me deeply.
To move to emotion.
He was deeply affected by the tragic ending of the play.
Of an illness or condition, to infect or harm (a part of the body).
Hepatitis affects the liver.

verb

To make a show of; to put on a pretense of; to feign; to assume. To make a false display of. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
to affect ignorance
To aim for, to try to obtain.
To feel affection for (someone); to like, be fond of.

noun

A subjective feeling experienced in response to a thought or other stimulus.
Mood, emotion, especially as demonstrated in external physical signs.
One's mood or inclination; mental state.

Origin

From Middle English affecten, from Latin affectāre, from Latin affectus, the participle stem of Latin afficere (“to act upon, influence, affect, attack with disease”), from ad- + facere (“to make, do”). By surface analysis, af- + Latin -fect.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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