Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Affair"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Affair \Af*fair"\ ([a^]f*f[^a]r"), n. [OE. afere, affere, OF.
afaire, F. affaire, fr. a faire to do; L.. ad + facere to do.
See {Fact}, and cf. {Ado}.]
1. That which is done or is to be done; matter; concern; as,
a difficult affair to manage; business of any kind,
commercial, professional, or public; -- often in the
plural. ``At the head of affairs.'' --Junius. ``A talent
for affairs.'' --Prescott.
2. Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or
characterize vaguely; as, an affair of honor, i. e., a
duel; an affair of love, i. e., an intrigue.
3. (Mil.) An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude
to be called a battle.
4. Action; endeavor. [Obs.]
And with his best affair Obeyed the pleasure of the
Sun. --Chapman.
5. A material object (vaguely designated).
A certain affair of fine red cloth much worn and
faded. --Hawthorne.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
affair
n 1: a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to";
"it is none of your affair"; "things are going well"
[syn: {matter}, {thing}]
2: a usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship [syn: {affaire},
{intimacy}, {liaison}, {involvement}, {amour}]
3: a vaguely specified social event; "the party was quite an
affair" [syn: {occasion}, {social occasion}]
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