# affair

Pronunciation: say "uh-FAIR" US /əˈfɛɹ/, UK /əˈfɛə/

## Noun

1. A matter to be attended to or carried out; business of any kind, whether commercial, professional, or public.
   - Simple: A piece of business or something that has to be done.
   - _She managed the financial affairs of the estate with great care._
   - _Running a household of twelve was no small affair._
2. A romantic or sexual relationship, typically a secret one, in which one or both people are married to or already in a relationship with someone else.
   - Simple: A usually secret romantic or sexual relationship in which at least one person already has another partner.
   - _The novel traces a long affair between a diplomat and his colleague's wife._
   - _Rumors of the senator's affair dominated the front pages for weeks._
3. A proceeding or course of action that someone refers to in a general or unspecified way rather than naming it precisely.
   - Simple: A matter or event that someone talks about in a general way, without giving the details.
   - _The trial turned into a long, messy affair that dragged on for nearly two years._
   - _Years later he still spoke of the lawsuit as that unfortunate affair._
4. A party or social gathering, especially one of a formal kind.
   - Simple: A party or social event, often a formal one.
   - _The charity gala was a black-tie affair held in the old opera house._
   - _What started as a small affair grew into a reception for three hundred._
5. A material object referred to vaguely rather than named precisely.
   - Simple: An object that someone points to or mentions without naming it exactly.
   - _Her hat was an enormous affair trimmed with feathers and ribbon._
   - _The bridge was a rickety affair of rope and weathered planks._
6. The person with whom someone carries on an adulterous relationship.
   - Simple: The person someone is having a love or sexual relationship with when one of them is married to someone else.
   - _He met his affair in secret at a hotel across the city._
   - _The diary named her affair only by a single initial._
7. A military action or engagement too small in scale to be called a battle.
   - Simple: A small fight between armed forces, smaller than a full battle.
   - _The cavalry affair at the crossing delayed the enemy advance by a day._
   - _What began as a minor affair on the flank escalated into a prolonged campaign._

## Noun

8. A euphemistic or slang term for the genitals, whether male or female. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old slang word for the private parts of the body.

## Origin

Came into English as Middle English afere, taken from Old French afaire, a compound of a- and faire ('to do'); behind these lie Latin ad- and facere ('to do'). Related to 'fact'; compare also 'ado'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/affair (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).