See Also: Affection(medicine)
affection(1)(dictionary)
affection(2)(dictionary)
affection(dictionary)
AFFECTION, contracts(law)
NATURAL AFFECTION(law)

affection(1) (iou)



affection noun. ME.
[Old & mod. French from Latin affectio(n-), from affect-: see AFFECT verb2, -ION.]
I. Of the mind.
A mental state; an emotion, a feeling. ME.
b. esp. Feeling as opp. to reason; passion, lust. ME-M18.
Spenser Most wretched man, That to Affections does the bridle lend!
Disposition towards something, bent, inclination. arch. ME.
b. gen. Mental tendency, disposition. M16-M18.
Goodwill, kindly feeling, love. LME.
alienation of affection: see ALIENATION 1. walk into a person's affections: see WALK verb1.
R. D. Laing Love lets the other be, but with affection and concern. L. P. Smith Unrequited affections are in youth unmitigated woes.
II. Of the body.
A bodily state; esp. a malady, a disease. M16.
A. P. Herbert Her voice was permanently husky from some old affection of the throat.
III. Of substances or essences.
A non-essential state; a mode of being; a property or attribute. M16.
INJURIOUS affection.
IV. gen.
The action of affecting; the state of being affected. L16.
J. S. Mill The affection of our bodily organs from without.
b. Celtic Philology. Mutation or umlaut of a vowel under the influence of a following sound. E20.
V. [AFFECT verb1 confused with verb2]
= AFFECTATION 2, 3. L16-E19.
Coleridge The gaudy affections of style which passed current..for poetic diction.
affectional adjective of or having affections M19.
affectioned adjective (now rare or obsolete) = AFFECTIONATE adjective M16.