affect English · revision 4290

+ English has two verbs spelled ''affect'', both from Latin afficere “to act on, influence”: “to influence”, from its past participle affectus, and “to pretend, put on”, from the frequentative affectāre; a noun “feeling”, with stress on the first syllable, belongs with the first.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Hoad 1986)

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+ {{homograph|1|influence}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1410|origins=la afficere}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /əˈfekt/ (verb), /ˈæf.ekt/ (noun)^(Roach et al. 2011)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|affecten]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|la|affectus]], the past participle of [[m|la|afficere|t=to act on, exert influence on]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) or from French affecter,^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998) from ad- “to” and facere “to make, do”,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from [[ine-pro|*dʰeh₁-|alt=*dhe-|t=to set, put]].^(Etymonline) The noun is [[bor|la|affectus|t=disposition, mood, state of mind]], the noun use of the participle;^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) its psychological sense translates German Affekt.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(SOED 2002) It is related to [[affection]] and [[effect]].^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The verb, “to act upon, infect”: 1410 in Barnhart,^(Barnhart 1988) the early 15th century in Etymonline, and in the New Oxford first of a disease attacking someone.^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) The noun, a mental state, mood or feeling, is from about 1374.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ “To attack” is from about 1600, and “to make a mental impression on, move” from the 1630s.^(Etymonline) Hoad dates “attack, influence, move” to the 17th century.^(Hoad 1986) The Century Dictionary noted that the two verbs and their derivatives run into each other and cannot be fully separated.^(Etymonline) The noun meant inward feeling, as opposed to outward action, from about 1400, and passion or desire as against reason from 1531;^(OED 1989) it fell out of use except in psychology, where it was coined anew in 1891 after German Affekt, for the feeling side of mental life.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(NODE 1998)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1374 – noun, a mental state.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1410 – to act upon.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1600 – to attack.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1630s – to move the feelings.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1891 – noun, in psychology.^(OED 1989)

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+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To have an [[influence]] on or bring about a change in.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To act on the [[emotion]]s of; to touch or move.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To attack or infect, as a [[disease]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

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+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(psychology)'' A feeling or emotion, as distinguished from thought or action.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # The outward expression of emotion.^(MW Collegiate)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[affecting]]

+ * [[affective]]

+ * [[affection]]

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+ {{homograph|2|pretend}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=a. 1425|origins=la affectare}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /əˈfekt/^(Roach et al. 2011)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|affecten|t=to desire, aim at]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|frm|affecter]], Anglo-French affeter,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from [[la|affectāre|t=to strive after, aim at, pretend to have]], the frequentative of afficere “to act on”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ “To desire, aim at, aspire to”, now obsolete: probably before 1425 in Barnhart,^(Barnhart 1988) the early 15th century in Etymonline,^(Etymonline) 1483 in the OED.^(OED 1989)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ “To have a liking for” is from the 16th century, now archaic.^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) “To assume the character of someone” is from the 1590s,^(Etymonline) and “to make a pretence of, put on” from the 1660s,^(Etymonline) the 17th century in Hoad.^(Hoad 1986) ''Affectation'' is from 1548.^(Barnhart 1988)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * a. 1425 – to aspire to.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1548 – ''affectation''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 16th century – to like.^(Hoad 1986)

+ * 1590s – to assume a character.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1660s – to pretend.^(Etymonline)

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+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To put on a false show of; to [[pretend]]: ''affect indifference''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To like to use or wear: ''affected a monocle''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # ''(archaic)'' To be fond of; to [[love]].^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[affectation]]

+ * [[affected]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[affectionate]]

+ * [[effect]]

+ * [[infect]]

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+ ==Usage notes==

+ The American Heritage notes that affect and effect have no senses in common: as a verb, affect means “to influence” and effect “to bring about”, so “measures that affect savings” may reduce existing savings, while “measures that effect savings” create new ones.^(AHD)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}