affair
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: government
military
politics
war
Etymology: From Middle English afere, affere, from Old French afaire, from a- + faire (“to do”), from Latin ad- + facere (“to do”). See fact, and compare ado.
Inflected forms:
form: affairs
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: affaire
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.
pos: noun
tags: in-plural
often
examples: a difficult affair to manage
Responsibility is my affair, reciprocity is his.
There are a number of issues external to the institution that can influence the fiscal management of student affairs.
gloss: Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely.
pos: noun
examples: an affair of honor
an affair of love
The house was a ramshackle affair.
The Creole affair is important because, from the slaves' standpoint, the Creole affair was the most successful slave revolt in American history.
gloss: An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle.
pos: noun
gloss: A material object (vaguely designated).
pos: noun
examples: He used a hook-shaped affair with a long handle to unlock the car.
This garden is a ramshackle affair.
She wore a starched white affair on her head, had a wart on one cheek, and silver-rimmed spectacles hung on the tip of her nose.
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.
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.
About ¼ mile north of Uxbridge terminus, an inclined connection drops to the goods yard, a small affair of a few coal sidings at ground level, west of the station.
gloss: An adulterous relationship, chiefly of a married person. (from affaire de cœur, affair of the heart).
pos: noun
examples: When Martin's wife found out about his affair with her best friend, she asked for a divorce.
Mary had an affair with a woman from the gym.
Andrew Gudmund (from whom I am the seventh in descent) had an affair of the same kind. He also refused to have the child baptised[.]
"Mean to say you been havin' an affair with Mrs. Peabody?"
The emotions involved in affairs can seem like a rollercoaster ride – one moment sublime and exciting, the next full of guilt and confusion. Some people seem to enjoy the drama of these sorts of encounter, relishing the highs and lows. But for most people the experience of an affair can be difficult to manage - even if the affair eventually leads to a committed relationship.
gloss: An otherwise illicit romantic relationship, such as with someone who is not one's regular partner (boyfriend, girlfriend).
pos: noun
examples: Jerry's girlfriend said she wanted to go steady, but she was in an affair with one of his team-mates.
gloss: A person with whom someone has an adulterous relationship.
pos: noun
examples: I was his affair and he was a little boy toy to me... Together it was our little scandal.
Turns out she's married; he was her affair.
Even though my husband forgave me and gave me another chance, I still continue to see my affair.
She was my affair, but for me she was everything.
gloss: A party or social gathering, especially of a formal nature.
pos: noun
examples: She also guessed that Lady Gladstone had not told them the affair had been planned some time ago. “We are looking forward to visiting you on Friday, Lady Gladstone,” said Harriet. “Geoffrey thought I might have forgotten because you sent us your invitation such ages ago, but I said, 'My dear brother, how could I possibly forget an invitation from Lady Gladstone?'“ “How very odd,” commented the comte lazily. “Lady Gladstone was just telling us it was an impromptu affair.”
gloss: The (male or female) genitals.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
slang
examples: ... ſhe, with the greateſt effrontery imaginable, unbuttons his breeches, and removing his ſhirt, draws out his affair, ſo ſhrunk and diminiſh’d that I could not but remember the difference, now creſt-fallen, or just faintly lifting its head: but our experinc’d matron very ſoon, by chafing it with her hands, brought it to ſwell to that ſize and erection I had before ſeen it up to.
Related words: liaison
Derived words: affair baby
affairette
affairless
affair of honor
affair of honour
affair partner
cyberaffair
emotional affair
have an affair
love affair
nonaffair
Ugandan affairs
Translations: