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affair

[ uh-fair ]
/ əˈfɛər /
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See synonyms for: affair / affairs on Thesaurus.com

noun

VIDEO FOR AFFAIR

What Is The Origin Of The Word "Affair"?

When most people hear the word affair, they automatically clutch their pearls and assume it’s referring to some sexy form of infidelity. But, the origins of affair aren’t sexy at all.

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Origin of affair

1250–1300; earlier affaire<French, Old French afaire for a faire to do, equivalent to a (<Latin ad to) + faire ≪ Latin facere; replacing Middle English afere<Old French
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use affair in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for affair

affair
/ (əˈfɛə) /

noun
a thing to be done or attended to; matter; businessthis affair must be cleared up
an event or happeninga strange affair
(qualified by an adjective or descriptive phrase) something previously specified, esp a man-made object; thingour house is a tumbledown affair
a sexual relationship between two people who are not married to each other
See also affairs

Word Origin for affair

C13: from Old French, from à faire to do
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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