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Webster 1913 Edition

Affair

Af-fair′

(ăf-fâr′)
,
Noun.
[OE.
afere
,
affere
, OF.
afaire
, F.
affaire
, fr.
a faire
to do; L..
ad
+
facere
to do. See
Fact
, and cf.
Ado
.]
1.
That which is done or is to be done; matter; concern;
as, a difficult
affair
to manage; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public; – often in the plural. “At the head of
affairs
.”
Junius.
“A talent for affairs.”
Prescott.
2.
Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely;
as, an
affair
of honor, i. e., a duel; an
affair
of love, i. e., an intrigue
.
3.
(Mil.)
An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle.
4.
Action; endeavor.
[Obs.]
And with his best
affair

Obeyed the pleasure of the Sun.
Chapman.
5.
A material object (vaguely designated).
A certain
affair
of fine red cloth much worn and faded.
Hawthorne.

Webster 1828 Edition

Affair

AFFA'IR

,
Noun.
[L. facere. The primary sense of facio is to urge, drive, impel.]
1.
Business of any kind; that which is done, or is to be done; a word of very indefinite and undefinable signification. In the plural, it denotes transactions in general; as human affairs; political or ecclesiastical affairs: also the business or concerns of an individual; as, his affairs are embarrassed.
2.
Matters; state; condition of business or concerns.
I have sent that ye may know our affairs. Eph. 6.
3.
In the singular, it is used for a private dispute, or duel; as, an affair of honor; and sometimes a partial engagement of troops.
In the phrase, at the head of affairs, the word means, the public concerns of executing the laws and administering the government.

Definition 2024

affair

affair

English

Noun

affair ‎(plural affairs)

  1. That which is done or is to be done; matter; concern; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public; — often in the plural.
    a difficult affair to manage‎
  2. Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely.
    an affair of honor, a duel;  an affair of love, an intrigue‎
  3. (military) An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle.
  4. A material object (vaguely designated).
    He used a hook-shaped affair with a long handle to unlock the car.‎
    • 1907, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “chapter I”, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 4241346:
      The house was a big elaborate limestone affair, evidently new. Winter sunshine sparkled on lace-hung casement, on glass marquise, and the burnished bronze foliations of grille and door.
    • 1944, Miles Burton, The Three Corpse Trick, chapter 5:
      The dinghy was trailing astern at the end of its painter, and Merrion looked at it as he passed. He saw that it was a battered-looking affair of the prahm type, with a blunt snout, and like the parent ship, had recently been painted a vivid green.
  5. An adulterous relationship (from affaire de cœur).
  6. A party or social gathering, especially of a formal nature.

Translations

See also

References

  • affair in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

Spanish

Etymology

English

Noun

affair m ‎(plural affairs)

  1. affair (extramarital relationship)

Synonyms

Etymology

From Middle English afere, affere, from Old French afaire, from a- + faire ‎(“to do”); Latin ad- + facere to do. See fact, and confer ado.

Pronunciation

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