AFFECT', L. afficio, affectum, of ad and facio, to make affecto, to desire, from the same room. Affect is to make to, or upon to press upon.

1. To act upon to produce an effect or change upon as, cold affects the body loss affects our interests.
2. To act upon, or move the passions as, affected with grief.
3. To aim at aspire to desire or entertain pretension to as, to affect imperial sway. See the etymology of Affair.
4. To tend to by natural affinity or disposition as, the drops of a fluid affect a spherical form.
5. To love, or regard with fondness.

Think not that wars we love and strife affect.

This sense is closely allied to the third.

6. To make a show of to attempt to imitate, in a manner not natural to study the appearance of what is not natural, or real as, to affect to be grave affected friendship.

It seems to have been used formerly for convict or attaint, as in Ayliffe's Parergon but this sense is not now in use.