Definitions for affection
əˈfɛk ʃənaf·fec·tion

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. affection, affectionateness, fondness, tenderness, heart, warmness, warmheartedness, philianoun

   a positive feeling of liking

   "he had trouble expressing the affection he felt"; "the child won everyone's heart"; "the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.8 / 4 votes

1. affectionnoun

   The act of affecting or acting upon.

2. affectionnoun

   The state of being affected.

3. affectionnoun

   An attribute; a quality or property; a condition; a bodily state; as, figure, weight, etc., are affections of bodies.

4. affectionnoun

   Bent of mind; a feeling or natural impulse or natural impulse acting upon and swaying the mind; any emotion; as, the benevolent affections, esteem, gratitude, etc.; the malevolent affections, hatred, envy, etc.; inclination; disposition; propensity; tendency.

5. affectionnoun

   Kind feeling; love; zealous or tender attachment; settled good will.

   Usage note: often in the plural; formerly followed by "to", but now more generally by "for" or "toward(s)"; as, filial, social, or conjugal affections; to have an affection for or towards children

6. affectionnoun

   Disease; morbid symptom; malady; as, a pulmonary affection. --Dunglison.

7. affectionverb

   to feel an affection, emotion or love for.

8. Etymology: From affection, from affectionem, from affectio; see affect.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. AFFECTIONnoun

   Etymology: affection, Fr. affectio, Lat.

   1. The state of being affected by any cause, or agent. This general sense is little in use.

   Some men there are love not a gaping pig;
   Some that are mad if they behold a cat;
   And others, when the bag-pipe sings i’ th’ nose,
   Cannot contain their urine, for affection. William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice.

   2. Passion of any kind.

   Then gan the Palmer thus: most wretched man,
   That to affections does the bridle lend;
   In their beginning they are weak and wan,
   But soon through sufferance grow to fearful end. Fairy Q.

   Impute it to my late solitary life, which is prone to affections. Philip Sidney, b. i.

   Affections, as joy, grief, fear, and anger, with such like, being, as it were, the sundry fashions and forms of appetite, can neither rise at the conceit of a thing indifferent, nor yet choose but rise at the sight of some things. Richard Hooker, b. i.

   To speak truth of Cæsar,
   I have not known when his affections sway’d
   More than his reason. William Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar.

   Zeal ought to be composed of the highest degrees of pious affections; of which some are milder and gentler, some sharper and more vehement. Thomas Sprat, Sermons.

   I can present nothing beyond this to your affections, to excite your love and desire. John Tillotson.

   3. Love; kindness; good-will to some person; often with to, or towards, before the person.

   I have acquainted you
   With the dear love I bear to fair Anne Page,
   Who mutually hath answer’d my affection. William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor.

   My king is tangl’d in affection to
   A creature of the queen’s lady Anne Bullen. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

   What warmth is there in your affection towards any of these princely suitors? William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice.

   Make his interest depend upon mutual affection and good correspondence with others. Jeremy Collier, on General Kindness.

   Nor at first sight, like most, admires the fair;
   For you he lives, and you alone shall share
   His last affection, as his early care. Alexander Pope.

   4. Good-will to any object; zeal; passionate regard.

   I have reason to distrust mine own judgment, as that which may be overborn by my zeal and affection to this cause. Francis Bacon, Holy War.

   Set your affection upon my words; desire them, and ye shall be instructed. Wisdom, vi. 11.

   His integrity to the king was without blemish, and his affection to the church so notorious, that he never deserted it. Cla.

   All the precepts of christianity command us to moderate our passions, to temper our affections towards all things below. William Temple.

   Let not the mind of a student be under the influence of warm affection to things of sense, when he comes to the search of truth. Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind.

   5. State of the mind, in general.

   There grows,
   In my most ill compos’d affection, such A stanchless avarice, that, were I king,
   I should cut off the nobles for their lands. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   The man that hath no musick in himself,
   Nor is not mov’d with concord of sweet sounds,
   Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;
   The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
   And his affections dark as Erebus:
   Let no such man be trusted. William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice.

   6. Quality; property.

   The certainty and accurateness which is attributed to what they deliver, must be restrained to what they teach, concerning those purely mathematical disciplines, arithmetick and geometry, where the affections of quantity are abstractedly considered. Boyle.

   The mouth being necessary to conduct the voice to the shape of its cavity, necessarily gives the voice some particular affection of sound in its passage before it come to the lips. William Holder, Elements of Speech.

   God may have joined immaterial souls to other kinds of bodies, and in other laws of union; and, from those different laws of union, there will arise quite different affections, and natures, and species of the compound beings. Richard Bentley, Sermons.

   7. State of the body, as acted upon by any cause.

   It seemed to me a venereal gonorrhæa, and others thought it arose from some scorbutical affection. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.

   8. Lively representation in painting.

   Affection is the lively representment of any passion whatsoever, as if the figures stood not upon a cloth or board, but as if they were acting upon a stage. Henry Wotton, Architecture.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. affection

   Affection refers to a gentle feeling of fondness, love, or caring towards someone or something. It is often characterized by feelings of warmth, companionship, tenderness, and attachment. It may be expressed through actions such as hugging, kissing, holding hands, or just spending quality time with the person or thing one is affectionate towards.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Affectionnoun

   the act of affecting or acting upon; the state of being affected

2. Affectionnoun

   an attribute; a quality or property; a condition; a bodily state; as, figure, weight, etc. , are affections of bodies

3. Affectionnoun

   bent of mind; a feeling or natural impulse or natural impulse acting upon and swaying the mind; any emotion; as, the benevolent affections, esteem, gratitude, etc.; the malevolent affections, hatred, envy, etc.; inclination; disposition; propensity; tendency

4. Affectionnoun

   a settled good will; kind feeling; love; zealous or tender attachment; -- often in the pl. Formerly followed by to, but now more generally by for or towards; as, filial, social, or conjugal affections; to have an affection for or towards children

5. Affectionnoun

   prejudice; bias

6. Affectionnoun

   disease; morbid symptom; malady; as, a pulmonary affection

7. Affectionnoun

   the lively representation of any emotion

8. Affectionnoun

   affectation

9. Affectionnoun

   passion; violent emotion

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Affection

   Affection or fondness is a "disposition or rare state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning emotion, disease, influence, state of being, "Affection" is popularly used to denote a feeling or type of love, amounting to more than goodwill or friendship. Writers on ethics generally use the word to refer to distinct states of feeling, both lasting and spasmodic. Some contrast it with passion as being free from the distinctively sensual element.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Affection

   af-fek′shun, n. kindness or love: attachment: (Shak.) affectation: an attribute or property: a disposition of mind: a disease or abnormal state of body or mind.—adjs. Affec′tional; Affec′tionate, full of affection: loving: (obs.) eager, passionate, well inclined to; Affec′tionated (obs.).—adv. Affec′tionately.—n. Affec′tionateness.—adj. Affec′tioned (B.), affected, disposed: (Shak.) full of affectation. [L. See Affect.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. affection

   The ability to feel, touch and give attention using love.

   They did show beautiful affection towards each other.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 15, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Feeling

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'affection' in Nouns Frequency: #2178

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce affection?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say affection in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of affection in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of affection in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of affection in a Sentence

1. Herbert Hensley Henson:

   Men are doubtful and skeptical about the Church they suspect and dislike the clergy they are impatient of theological systems but for Jesus Christ, as he stand out to view in the sacred pages, as they dimly realize him in their own best selves, as they catch faint traces of him in the lives of his saints, they have no other sentiments than those of respect and affection.

2. Edward R. Murrow:

   The politician in my country seeks votes, affection and respect, in that order. ... With few notable exceptions, they are simply men who want to be loved.

3. C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves:

   Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.

4. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

   Talk not of wasted affection, affection never was wasted, If it enrich not the heart of another, its waters returning Back to their springs, like the rain shall fill them full of refreshment That which the fountain sends forth returns again to the fountain.

5. Derik Murray:

   For Heath Ledger fans, I think they are going to love it because they are going to find out so much about him, who he really was, and their affection for Heath will grow, for those who weren't major fans, I think they will find this film inspiring. You will learn that creativity is for all of us, you just need to pick up a camera, pick up a pen, put your finger on your computer, draw, paint or whatever it is.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=affection
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Affection
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=affection
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affection
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=affection
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=affection
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=affection