effect

See also: Effect

English

Etymology

For noun: from Middle English effect, from Old French effect (modern French effet), from Latin effectus (“an effect, tendency, purpose”), from efficiō (“accomplish, complete, effect”); see effect as a verb. Displaced Old English fremming, fremednes from fremman.

For verb: from Middle English effecten, partly from Medieval Latin effectuō, from Latin effectus, perfect passive participle of efficiō (“accomplish, complete, do, effect”), from ex (“out”) + faciō (“do, make”) (see fact and compare affect, infect) and partly from the noun effect.

Pronunciation

Noun

effect (countable and uncountable, plural effects)

  1. The result or outcome of a cause.
    Synonyms: consequence; see also Thesaurus:cause
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:cause
    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
      The stories did not seem to me to touch life. They were plainly intended to have a bracing moral effect, and perhaps had this result for the people at whom they were aimed.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. […]   The bed was the most extravagant piece.  Its graceful cane halftester rose high towards the cornice and was so festooned in carved white wood that the effect was positively insecure, as if the great couch were trimmed with icing sugar.
    • 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist‎, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
      The solitary, lumbering trolls of Scandinavian mythology would sometimes be turned to stone by exposure to sunlight. Barack Obama is hoping that several measures announced on June 4th will have a similarly paralysing effect on their modern incarnation, the patent troll.
    The effect of the hurricane was a devastated landscape.
  2. Impression left on the mind; sensation produced.
    • 1832 October, unknown author, “The Tears of Parents”, in The Christian Observer, volume 32:
      patchwork […] introduced for oratorical effect
    • 1832, Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra:
      The effect was heightened by the wild and lonely nature of the place.
  3. Execution; performance; realization; operation.
    1. (uncountable) The state of being binding and enforceable, as in a rule, policy, or law.
      The new law will come into effect on the first day of next year.
  4. (cinematography, computer graphics, demoscene) An illusion produced by technical means (as in "special effect")
    The effect of flying was most convincing.
    • 2018, Jimmy Maher, The Future Was Here: The Commodore Amiga, page 186:
      The colored bands of color that strobe through much of the text and other visual elements are perhaps the most prototypical of all Amiga demoscene effects and, again, are a direct result of the hardware on which Megademo was created to run.
  5. (sound engineering) An alteration, or device for producing an alteration, in sound after it has been produced by an instrument.
    I use an echo effect here to make the sound more mysterious.
    I just bought a couple of great effects.
  6. (physics, psychology, etc.) A scientific phenomenon, usually named after its discoverer.
    Doppler effect
  7. (usually in the plural) Belongings, usually as personal effects.
    The tenant shall pay for the repair of, or replace all such items of the fixtures, fittings, furniture and effects as shall be broken, lost, damaged or destroyed during that time.
  8. Consequence intended; purpose; meaning; general intent; with to.
  9. (obsolete) Reality; actual meaning; fact, as distinguished from mere appearance.
  10. (obsolete) Manifestation; expression; sign.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with affect.

Collocations
Collocations

Adjectives often applied to "effect":

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

effect (third-person singular simple present effects, present participle effecting, simple past and past participle effected)

  1. (transitive) To make or bring about; to implement.
    The best way to effect change is to work with existing stakeholders.
    • 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 57:
      The offence thus given naturally effected an entire conversion in the queen's sentiments, and when Arthur returned from hunting, like Potiphar's wife, she charges Launfal with attempting her honour.
    • 1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)‎:
      The punishment for sodomy, when completely effected, was death, and it was frequently inflicted.
    • 1944 July and August, Charles E. Lee, “The "City of Truro"”, in Railway Magazine, page 202:
      The transfer by tender of some 1,300 mail bags was effected smartly, and the "Ocean Mails Special" train was ready at 9.19 a.m.
  2. Misspelling of affect.

Usage notes

Effect is often confused with affect. The latter usually suggests influence over existing ideas, emotions and entities. While the former indicates the manifestation of new and/or original ideas or entities:

  • “New governing coalitions have effected major changes” indicates that major changes were made as a result of new governing coalitions.
  • “New governing coalitions have affected major changes” indicates that before new governing coalitions, major changes were in place, and that the new governing coalitions had some influence over those existing changes.
terms related to effect (verb)

Translations

References
  1. Deterding, David, Hvitfeldt, Robert (1994) “The Features of Singapore English Pronunciation: Implications for Teachers”, in Teaching and Learning‎, volume 15, number 1, pages 98–107

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch effect, from Old French effect, from Latin effectus. The sense ‘(equitable) security’ borrowed from German Effekt or French effet.[1]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ɛˈfɛkt/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: ef‧fect
  • Rhymes: -ɛkt

Noun

effect n (plural effecten, diminutive effectje n)

  1. effect
  2. (finance, usually in the plural) security, notably bond or stock
    Hypernym: waardepapier
  3. (ball games) spin (rotation of a ball)
  4. (obsolete) personal effect, belonging

Derived terms

Compounds

Descendants
  • Afrikaans: effek
  • → Indonesian: efek

References
  1. Philippa, Marlies, Debrabandere, Frans, Quak, Arend, Schoonheim, Tanneke, van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

Middle French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French effect.

Noun

effect m (plural effects)

  1. effect

Descendants

Old French

Etymology

From Latin effectus.

Noun

effect oblique singular, m (oblique plural effecz or effectz, nominative singular effecz or effectz, nominative plural effect)

  1. effect
  2. (law) judgment; decree
    • punir les contrevenantz solonc l’effect des estatut
      Punish the offender according to the decree of the statute

Descendants
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