affection Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a positive feeling of liking
heart; warmness; philia; warmheartedness; tenderness; affectionateness; fondness.
- he had trouble expressing the affection he felt
- the child won everyone's heart
- the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home

F. affection, L. affectio, fr. afficere. See Affect.

The act of affecting or acting upon; the state of being affected.
An attribute; a quality or property; a condition; a bodily state; as, figure, weight, etc. , are affections of bodies. "The affections of quantity." Boyle.
And, truly, waking dreams were, more or less, An old and strange affection of the house. Tennyson.
Bent of mind; a feeling or natural impulse or natural impulse acting upon and swaying the mind; any emotion; as, the benevolent affections, esteem, gratitude, etc. ; the malevolent affections, hatred, envy, etc.; inclination; disposition; propensity; tendency.
Affection is applicable to an unpleasant as well as a pleasant state of the mind, when impressed by any object or quality. Cogan.
A settled good will; kind feeling; love; zealous or tender attachment; -- often in the pl. Formerly followed by to, but now more generally by for or towards; as, filial, social, or conjugal affections; to have an affection for or towards children.
All his affections are set on his own country. Macaulay.
Prejudice; bias. Obs. Bp. Aylmer.
(Med.) Disease; morbid symptom; malady; as, a pulmonary affection. Dunglison.
The lively representation of any emotion. Wotton.
Affectation. Obs. "Spruce affection." Shak.
Passion; violent emotion. Obs.
Most wretched man, That to affections does the bridle lend. Spenser.
Syn. -- Attachment; passion; tenderness; fondness; kindness; love; good will. See Attachment; Disease.