affection

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English affection, affeccion, affeccioun, from Old French affection, from Latin affectiōnem, from affectiō; equivalent to affect +‎ -ion. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /əˈfɛk.ʃən/, /əˈfɛk.t͡ʃən/ Hyphenation: af‧fec‧tion Rhymes: -ɛkʃən === Noun === affection (countable and uncountable, plural affections) The act of affecting or acting upon. The state of being affected, especially: a change in, or alteration of, the emotional state of a person or other animal, caused by a subjective affect (a subjective feeling or emotion), which arises in response to a stimulus which may result from either thought or perception. An attribute; a quality or property; a condition. An emotion; a feeling or natural impulse acting upon and swaying the mind. A feeling of love or strong attachment. (medicine, archaic) A disease; a morbid symptom; a malady. ==== Usage notes ==== In the sense of "feeling of love or strong attachment", it is often in the plural; formerly followed by "to", but now more generally by "for" or "toward(s)", for example filial, social, or conjugal affections; to have an affection for or towards children Not to be confused with affectation (“An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show”). ==== Synonyms ==== (kind feeling): attachment, fondness, kindness, love, passion, tenderness ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === affection (third-person singular simple present affections, present participle affectioning, simple past and past participle affectioned) (now rare) To feel affection for. [from 16th c.] ==== Translations ==== ==== Further reading ==== “affection”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. “affection”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “affection”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. == French == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin affectiō. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /a.fɛk.sjɔ̃/ === Noun === affection f (plural affections) affection, love, fondness medical condition, complaint, disease ==== Related terms ==== affectueux === Further reading === “affection”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Scots == === Noun === affection (plural affections) affection === References === Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.