English → Latin
“affect” in Latin
moveōto move, stir, set in motion; to disturb, shake, remove; to arouse, excite, promote, producecommoveōto move something in violent motion, move; shake, stir, shift, agitate; to remove something from somewhere, carry away, permoveōto move, shake up or stir up thoroughly, agitate; to move deeply; stir or rouse up, overrule, excite, arouse; upset; inftangōto touch, grasp; to reach, arrive at, come to a place; to attain tofrangōto break, shatter; to break, shatter (a promise, a treaty, someone's ideas (dreams, projects), someone's spirit); to brepercutiōto strike, beat; to make an impression on the mind, touch, please, delight, astonish, shock; to killafficiōto cause someone to experience something; to visit, inflict, bestow; to treat, manage, handle; to influence, have an effdēbilitōto cripple or maim; to debilitate, unnerve, disable or weakensimulōto make like, simulate, imitate, copy, represent; to feign, pretend; to behave or act (as if, as though)ostendōto expose to view, exhibit, show; to reveal, expose, make known; to explain, clarify
The English word affect itself goes back to Latin faciō, through affectāre.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
affect v.
work or have influence upon, vim habere or exercere in aliquid (vim exserere is not Latin).
Work upon (move, touch) the mind, movere, commovere, permovere (generalterms): tangere (to touch, make an impression on; aliquem, alicujus animum): frangere (to raise gentle feelings in anybody, aliquem or alicujus animum): percutere (to affect violently): afficere, e.g., laetitia, voluptate, etc. Afficere can not PROP. be used absolutely for affect in this sense, but only in such combinations as, “Your letter affected me so,” litterae tuae sic me aflecerunt, ut, etc.: “they were so affected,” eorum animi ita atfecti sunt, ut, etc.: it affects me a little, modice me tangit aliquid: not at all, non laboro de re (I care nothing about it; e.g., de alicujus morte). To be violently affected, vehementius moveri.
Work upon injuriously, afficere (e.g., hunger, cold, etc., affect the body): debilitare (weaken): frangere (to oppress the mind): violently, grievously, etc., conficere (almost to destroy; especially of pain of body or mind). To affect the eyes, oculorum aciem obtundere: the cold affects anybody, frigus horrore alicujus corpus aflicit: to affect his body and mind, nervos mentis et corporis frangere: the whole lung is affected, pulmo totus afficitur (Cels.).
Put on the appearance of anything, simulare (pretend): ostendere: jactare: prae se ferre (to assume ostentatiously): affectare (to strive after anything too much: not till the Silver Age). To affect the philosopher in his exterior, philosophiae studium habitu corporis prae se ferre: constancy, friendship, tears, knowledge of anything, constantiam, amicitiam, lacrimas, scientiam rei simulare: another person’s gait, incessum alicujus inepte exprimere: a serious look, a solemn pace, etc., aliquis sibi vultum, incessum fingit, quo graviorvideatur.
Aim at, endeavor after, affectare aliquid (to pursue an object with eagerness; e.g., imperium in Latinos, regnum, Liv.: magniticentiam verborum, Quint.): petere, appetere (aim at, long for; e.g., honores, praeturam, principatum eloquentiae, regnum): expetere (pursue one object selected from others, and therefore the more eagerly, pecuniam, divitias): aspirare ad aliquid (rare: ad alicujus pecuniam: ad laudem): captare aliquid (try to catch or obtain; plausum, voluptatem): sequi (to pursue: otium et tranquillitatem vitae, virtutem). Also persequi, sectari, consectari aliquid; studere alicui rei; concupiscere aliquid; servire, inservire alicui rei; niti, adniti ad aliquid. [Vid: STRIVE.]
To be fond of. Vid: LOVE.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for affect?
- The usual Latin words for “affect” are moveō, commoveō, permoveō; also tangō, frangō, percutiō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.