affection
n.-
1 fondness or love (n.) B1 Intermediatea feeling of liking or caring for a person or an animal.
a gentle feeling of fondness or liking. Uncountable in its general sense, though specific instances may be countable.
ExampleThe dog showed great affection for its owner by wagging its tail.
ExampleDespite their frequent professional disagreements, the two colleagues maintained a deep personal affection for one another that spanned several decades.
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2 a medical condition (n.) C2 Proficiency Archaic Technical Medicinea physical condition or a disease.
a physical condition or disease, particularly one affecting a specific organ or part of the body.
ExampleThe old medical book described a strange affection of the lungs.
ExampleThe physician noted a chronic affection of the nervous system which appeared to be exacerbated by the patient's environmental conditions.
UsageIn modern medicine, 'condition' or 'disorder' is almost always preferred over 'affection'.
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3 a quality or property (n.) C2 Proficiency Academic Formala quality or feature that something has.
an attribute, quality, or property of a thing or substance.
ExampleThe philosopher discussed the different affections of the human mind.
ExampleThe treatise explores the various affections of matter, such as extension and motion, within the framework of seventeenth-century physics.
From Middle English affection, affeccion, affeccioun, from Old French affection, from Latin affectiōnem, from affectiō; equivalent to affect + -ion.
- Nounaffection
- Adjectiveaffectionate
- Adverbaffectionately