affection
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a 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.
Simple“The dog showed great affection for its owner by wagging its tail.”
In context“Despite their frequent professional disagreements, the two colleagues maintained a deep personal affection for one another that spanned several decades.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
a physical condition or a disease.
a physical condition or disease, particularly one affecting a specific organ or part of the body.
Simple“The old medical book described a strange affection of the lungs.”
In context“The 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'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a quality or feature that something has.
an attribute, quality, or property of a thing or substance.
Simple“The philosopher discussed the different affections of the human mind.”
In context“The treatise explores the various affections of matter, such as extension and motion, within the framework of seventeenth-century physics.”
Synonyms
“Feeling affection toward a dog was not significantly associated with either healthier or less healthy coping styles.”
“Considering these two shows together as a critique of the service we comedy reviewers render – well, there’s ridicule (fair enough) but perhaps grudging affection too.”
From Middle English affection, affeccion, affeccioun, from Old French affection, from Latin affectiōnem, from affectiō; equivalent to affect + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.