affected
Meaning
Behaving or speaking in a way that is not genuine or natural, in order to impress others.
(archaic) Disposed or inclined in a specified way.
Structure
Usage
She spoke with an affected accent that annoyed her classmates.
His affected indifference failed to hide his keen interest in the outcome.
The letter was addressed to all those affected by the new regulations.
Etymology
The word 'affected' originates from the Latin verb 'afficere', meaning 'to do something to, to influence', itself a compound of 'ad-' (to) and 'facere' (to make). The past participle 'affectus' (acted upon, influenced) entered Middle English via Old French 'affecter'. The core concept of being 'acted upon' or 'influenced' evolved in two directions. One path led to the modern psychological sense of 'emotion' (affect). The other, describing a person whose behavior has been 'acted upon' or artificially shaped for effect, gave rise to the primary contemporary meaning of artificial or pretentious mannerisms.
Analysis
- af: Latin prefix 'ad-', meaning 'to, towards'. Assimilated to 'af-' before 'f'. - fect: From Latin root 'facere', meaning 'to make, to do'. The spelling 'fect' is from its past participle stem 'fact-'. - ed: Old English suffix forming adjectives from nouns or verbs, indicating a state or condition.