affect

t. [Lat. affecto, -ari = to strive after, to pursue, to aim at, to feign ( lit. = to pretend to); Ger. affektiren; Fr. affecter: Sp afectar; Port. affectar; Ital. affettare.] I. To exert an influence upon, or produco an effect upon. 1. In a general sense ( of persons or things): "But, though the he majority majority was diminished, the result was not affected ."-Macaulay: Hist. Eng.. ch. w. and the balance of maritime power would not be affected by an union between Spain and Austria" -Ibid . , ch. xxiii. "The tides were very curiously affected ."-Darwin: Voyage round the World , ch. xiv. " Dem . Chiron, thy ears want wit, thy wit wants edge And manners to intrude where I am graced; And may, for aught thou know'st, affected be." Shakesp. Titus Andronicus, ii. 1. 2. Specially (of persons): (a) To bring under the influence of a disease or morbid influences. 106 "The climate affected their health and spirits."Macaulay: Hist . Eng ., ch. xvi. "On the other hand, the laborious part of mankind are much more rarely affected by this prolonged form of phthisis."-Cycl. Pract . Med . , iv 279. (b) To cause to feel emotion. "Mine eye affect eth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city."- Lam , iii. 51. this old gentleman [Mr. Sagacity), as he told me the story, did himself seem to be greatly affected therewith."-Bunyan: Pilgrim's Progr . , pt. 2 (c) To render well or ill disposed to. " Buck . Well, then, no more but this: Go, gentle Catesby, And, as it were far off, sound thou Lord Hastings, How he doth stand affected to our purpose. Shakesp.: King Richard III ., iii. L "But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil afected against the brethren."- Acta xiv. 2. In these senses the part of the verb which generally occurs is the past participle. II. To inspire with love; to desire, to follow after. * 1. To inspire with love, to love. (a) To inspire with love. "Is thine own heart to thine own face affected !" Can thy right hand seize love upon thy left?" Shakesp.: Venus and Adonis. (b) To love, to like, to be fond of, to be partial to. "Go, let him have a table by himself; For he does neither affeat company, Nor is he fit for it, indeed." Shakesp.: Timon of Athens, i. 2 2. To desire, to pursne, to strive after, to aim at, to endeavour after. (a) With a person for the agent (used in the foregoing senses): "And He, that wears the crown immortally, Long guard it yours! If I affect it more Than as your honour, and as your renown, Let me no more from this obedience rise. Shakesp. King Henry IV ., Part II ., iv. 4. "For shame, be friends; and join for that you jar. Tis policy and stratagem must do That you affect ; and so must you resolve." Shakesp. Tilus Andronicus, ii. 1. "Thy soldier, servant; making peace or war, As thou affect'st . Shakesp.; Antony and Cleopatra , 1. 3. (b) With a thing for the agent: To tend to, to a ume. "The drops of every fluid affect a round figure, by the mutual attraction of their parts; as the globe of the earth and sea affects a round figure, by the mutual attraction of its parts by gravity."-Newton: Optics. III. To feign, to pretend. Specially : 1. To pretend to feel as one does not really feel; to be what one is not; or to be acting in one way whilst really doing so in another. "The old hypocrite had, it was said, while affecting reverence and love for his master, given the fatal signal to his master's enemies."- Macaulay : Hist . Eng . , ch. xx. "The interlopers, therefore, determined to affect the character of loyal men, who were determined to stand by the throne against the insolent tribunes of the City."- Ibid . , ch. xviii. those who affected to observe it made fictitious conveyances to their kinsmen, who held the land merely as trustees, while the great majority set the law at open defiance."-Lewis: Early Rom. Hist., ch. xiii. 2. To prefer or choose for the sake of artifice. "Great masters of our language, in their most dignified compositions, affected to use French words, when English words, quite as expre ive and melodious, were at hand."-Macaulay: Hist . Eng ., ch. iii.