Etymology

affect

af·fect
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Today it means: To influence or alter. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Middle English affecten ← Latin affectāre ← Proto-Italic *fakjō
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affect · verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  2. Proto-Italic*ad
  3. Proto-Italic*ad-
  4. Latinad-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁k-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*dʰh₁kyéti
  8. Proto-Italic*θakjō
  9. Proto-Italic*fakjō
  10. Latinfaciō
  11. Latinafficiō
  12. Latinaffectō
  13. Latinaffectāre
  14. Middle Englishaffecten
  15. English todayaffect

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.

affect · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  2. Proto-Italic*ad
  3. Proto-Italic*ad-
  4. Latinad-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁k-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*dʰh₁kyéti
  8. Proto-Italic*θakjō
  9. Proto-Italic*fakjō
  10. Latinfaciō
  11. Latinafficiō
  12. Latinaffectō
  13. Latinaffectāre
  14. Middle Frenchaffecter
  15. Anglo-Normanaffecter
  16. Middle Englishaffecten
  17. English todayaffect

From Middle English affecten, from Anglo-Norman affecter (“strive after”), Middle French affecter (“feign”), and their source, Latin affectāre (“to strive after, aim to do, pursue, imitate with dissimulation, feign”), frequentative of afficere (“to act upon, influence”) (see Etymology 1, above).

affect · noun3

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  2. Proto-Italic*ad
  3. Proto-Italic*ad-
  4. Latinad-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁k-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*dʰh₁kyéti
  8. Proto-Italic*θakjō
  9. Proto-Italic*fakjō
  10. Latinfaciō
  11. Latinafficiō
  12. Latinaffectus
  13. Middle Englishaffect
  14. English todayaffect

From Middle English affect, from Latin affectus, adfectus (“a state of mind or body produced by some (external) influence, especially sympathy or love”), from afficere (“to act upon, influence”).

Words from the same roots

Latinaffectus all →

affectiveaffectual

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. To make a show of; to put on a pretense of; to feign; to assume. To make a false display of.
  • 15th–19th c. To aim for, to try to obtain.
  • from 16th c. To feel affection for (someone); to like, be fond of.
  • from 16th c. To show a fondness for (something); to choose.
  • from 19th c. Mood, emotion, especially as demonstrated in external physical signs.
  • 14th–17th c. One's mood or inclination; mental state.
  • 16th–17th c. A desire, an appetite.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.