- af|fect´er
- af|fect1 «verb. uh FEHKT; noun. AF ehkt», verb, noun.–v.t.1. to produce a result on; have an effect on; act on; influence or change: »
The small amount of rain last year affected the growth of crops. The disease affected his mind so that he lost his memory. Nothing you say will affect my decision.
2. to touch the heart of; stir the feelings of: »The stories of starving children so affected him that he gave all his spare money to their aid.
SYNONYM(S): move.–n.Psychology. the felt or affective component of a stimulus or motive to action.╂[< Latin affectus, past participle of afficere act on < ad- to + facere do]af|fect2 «uh FEHKT», transitive verb.1. to pretend to have or feel: »He affected ignorance of the fight, but we knew that he had seen it.
SYNONYM(S): feign, simulate, profess. See syn. under pretend. (Cf. ↑pretend)2. to use because one prefers to; choose to use, wear, own, etc.; fancy: »He affects carelessness in dress.
3. to make a show of liking; adopt falsely or ostentatiously: »to affect a taste for abstract art.
╂[< Middle French affecter, learned borrowing from Latin affectāre strive for < afficere act on < ad- to + facere do]–af|fect´er, noun.Usage Affect and effect are often confused in writing, partly because they are pronounced very similarly or identically, and partly because to affect is synonymous with to have an effect on. But in the general vocabulary affect is used only as a verb, whereas effect is most commonly used as a noun: »Overwork has had a serious effect on his health. Overwork has seriously affected his health.
In formal English effect is also a verb meaning most commonly “to cause or bring about”: »The new coach effected a marked change in the students' attitude toward sports.
Notice that the object of the verb affect is the person or thing influenced, while the object of effect is the change or result of the influence: »to effect an improvement by affecting the people concerned.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
