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affectability

 - 4 dictionary results

af⋅fect

1  [v. uh-fekt; n. af-ekt]
Use affectability in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to act on; produce an effect or change in: Cold weather affected the crops.
2. to impress the mind or move the feelings of: The music affected him deeply.
3. (of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.
–noun
4. Psychology. feeling or emotion.
5. Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response: Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.
6. Obsolete. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L affectus acted upon, subjected to; mental or emotional state (ptp. and action n. of afficere), equiv. to af- af- + fec- (comb. form of facere to make, do) + -tus action n. suffix or -tus ptp. suffix

Related forms:
af⋅fect⋅a⋅ble, adjective
af⋅fect⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun

Synonyms:
1. influence, sway; modify, alter. 2. touch, stir.

Usage note:
Affect1 and effect, each both noun and verb, share the sense of “influence,” and because of their similarity in pronunciation are sometimes confused in writing. As a verb affect1 means “to act on” or “to move” (His words affected the crowd so deeply that many wept); affect2 means “to pretend” or “to assume” (new students affecting a nonchalance they didn't feel). The verb effect means “to bring about, accomplish”: Her administration effected radical changes. The noun effect means “result, consequence”: the serious effects of the oil spill. The noun affect1 pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, is a technical term in psychology and psychiatry. Affect2 is not used as a noun.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

affect  (n.)
c.1374, "mental state," from L. affectus, pp. of afficere "act on, have influence on," a verb of broad meaning, from ad- "to" + facere (pp. factus) "do" (see factitious). The verb meaning "to make an impression on" is attested from 1631.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2af·fect
Pronunciation: &-'fekt, a-
Function: transitive verb
: to produce an effect upon; especially : toproduce a material influence upon or alteration in affected his limbs>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

affect af·fect (ə-fěkt')
v. af·fect·ed, af·fect·ing, af·fects

  1. To have an influence on or affect a change in.

  2. To attack or infect, as a disease.

n. (āf'ěkt')

  1. A feeling or emotion as distinguished from thought, or action.

  2. A strong feeling with active consequences.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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