to be able to do or spare something, esp without incurring financial difficulties or without risk of undesirable consequences: we can afford to buy a small house; I can afford to give you one of my chess sets; we can't afford to miss this play
2.
to give, yield, or supply: the meeting afforded much useful information
[Old English geforthian to further, promote, from forthforth; the Old English prefix ge- was later reduced to a-, and the modern spelling (C16) is influenced by words beginning aff-]