Discuss affect here.

In Shakespeare it means to love, to like. The Shakespeare affection (formerly affecioun) is in much earlier use, and common in Chaucer. From the Latin affectare, to apply oneself to; frequentative form of afficere, to aim at, treat. Latin af, ad; and facere, to do, act. Derivatives including affected, affectedness, affecting, affectation, affection, affectionate, affectionately.

vt.
1) To have an effect upon; act upon; lay hold of; impress; influence; change; as, the state of health affects the mind; opiates affect the brain.

“When we least think it we may be affecting others in their whole destiny.” - Geikie “Entering on Life”

“Poverty never does much affect a child, unless prematurely tainted by being brought up among wordly-minded elders.” - Dinah M. Craik “My Mother and I”

2) To act upon the emotions or sensibilities of; touch; move; as, he was visibly affected by his loss; the audience was deeply affected.

3) To lay hold of; act upon contagiously, as a part of the body, attack, usually passive; as, the throat is affected by a cold.

4) [Rare] To allot; assign; attribute

5) [Law] To attaint with crime

SYNONYMS: concern, influence

Prepositions: affect with awe, affected in health by the environment

[<L. affectus, pp. of afficio, influence, < ad, to, + facio, do.]

verb
I 1) To have a liking for, as a person, thing, or practice; be drawn toward; be fond of; love.

2) To show a natural tendency toward; haunt; frequent; inhabit; as, the white bear affects the polar regions; lead, when crystallizing, affects the cubical form.

“Use also such persons as affect the business wherein they are employed; for that quickeneth much.” - Bacon “Essays, Negotiation”

3) To make a show of one’s liking for; do for effect; assume; put on. Especially: (1) To assume the character of or imitate; as, Spencer affected Chaucer. (2) To pretend or counterfeit; as, he affected piety.

“Love of power ... has led the priesthood of many a faith to affect a mystery, the key to which was in their own keeping.” - Prescott “Mexico”

(3) To take upon one; attempt; profess; as, to affect to write the story of one’s life.

4) To aim at; attain

II 1) To incline; be disposed

2) To put on airs

[<F. affecter, <L. affecto, aspire to, < ad, to, + facio, do.]

SYNONYMS: assume, like, pretend

noun
[archaic] State or condition; result of being acted upon

noun
[Archaic] Inward disposition; inclination

For more information on the differences between affect and effect read this article.