Forms: 3–4 afer(e, 4–5 affer(e, 5–7 affayre, 6–7 affaire, 7– affair. North. 6 effere, effaire. [a. OFr. afaire, afeire, afere, originally infinitive phrase à faire to do. Cf. the Eng. A-DO, the history of which is parallel to that of à faire in Fr. All the earlier instances of affair are northern; its general use in Eng. and later spelling, from 15th c. Fr., are due to Caxton.]
1. What one has to do, or has ado with; what has to be done; business, operation.
c. 1300. Cursor Mundi, 22116, Cotton MS. Þe wicked gastes … Him foluand in al his afers [Edin. MS. afferis, Fairf. MS. afers, Gött. MS. fers].
c. 1300. K. Alis., 410. And tellith to Neptanabous, Alle theo aferis of Ammon.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. VII. 152. Þer beþ meny felle frekus myne afferes to aspye.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 3455. Now goth wel thyn affere, He shalle to thee be debonaire.
1602. Shaks., Haml., I. ii. 174. But what is your affaire in Elsenour?
1720. Ozell, trans. Vertot’s Rom. Rep., I. IV. 224. The Tribunes … wou’d not suffer the Peoples Votes to be gathered upon any Affair whatsoever.
1793. Burke, Pol. of Allies, Wks. VII. 127. The affair of the establishment of a government is a very difficult undertaking.
1842. Longf., Sp. Stud., I. i. 5. It was a dull affair, one of those comedies.
1870. Miss Mitford, in L’Estrange’s Life, I. iii. 79. I set about the grand affair of dressing.
1874. Blackie, Self-Culture, 47. Dinner is a more serious affair.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., Pref. 8. Seeing a book through the press is a laborious and time-wasting affair.
b. More vaguely, A thing that concerns any one; a concern, a matter.
1611. Bible, 1 Chron. xxvi. 32. Euery matter perteining to God, and affaires of the king.
1770. Langhorne, Plutarch’s Lives (1879), I. 98/1. When the trouble about Cylon’s affair was over.
1859. Mill, Liberty, 188. The pretext that the affairs of another are his own affairs.
Mod. An affair of a few days; an affair of five shillings, at most.
2. esp. (in pl.) a. Ordinary business or pursuits of life, transactions between man and man.
1484. Caxton, Curial, 1. I am there where the places and affayres desioyne vs.
1559. Myrroure for Mag., Cade, vi. 2. Medleth not with any worldes affaires.
1685. Morden, Geogr. Rect., Ep. Ded. 1. Your … Affairs abroad have … given you a better knowledge and experience of Foreign Parts.
1750. Johnson, Rambler, No. 179, ¶ 9. As he did not suspect his unfitness for common affairs.
1798. Ferriar, Of Genius, 281. Some degree of similarity in the course of human affairs must often recur.
1869. J. Martineau, Ess., II. 55. Practical sympathy with the … affairs of mankind.
b. Commercial or professional business.
1519. Sir T. Boleyn, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 53 I. 149. Amongs all his other things and great affaires he is so moch desirous to mete visite and see your Grace.
1528. Perkins, Profit. Bk., v. § 342 (1642), 150. A woman shall be endowed of a Bayliwick … And so in like manner she shall be endowed of affaires.
1600. Letting of Humours Bl., i. 47. And there his tongue runs byas on affaires, No talke but of comodities and wares.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 142, ¶ 7. He took his affairs into his own hands.
1871. Smiles, Charact., iv. (1876), 107. Men of affairs, trained to business.
c. Public business, transactions or matters concerning men or nations collectively.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. ii. § 2. The chronicle … read before Ahasuerus … contained matter of affairs.
1626. T. H., trans. Caussin’s Holy Crt., 7. The good successe of affayres haue follovved your desires.
1697. Dryden, Virgil, Georgic, IV. 260. That in the Field; this in Affairs of State, Employ’d at home.
1715. Burnet, Hist. own Time (1766), I. 1. I had while I was very young a greater knowledge of affairs than is usual at that age.
1733. Pope, Prol. Satires, 267. I was not born for Courts or great affairs.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 447. The general expectation was that he would be immediately placed at the head of affairs, and that all the other great officers of state would be changed.
3. sing. Vaguely, and with intentional indefiniteness, of any proceeding which it is not wished to name or characterize closely; as a military ‘action’ or engagement of undefined character, a political job, a duel (affair of honor), an intrigue (affair of love), etc.
1702. Steele, Funeral, I. (1704), 21. To marry a Woman after an Affair with her.
1732. Berkeley, Minute Philos (1732), I. 46. In our Dialect a vicious Man is a Man of pleasure … a Lady is said to have an affair, a Gentleman to be a gallant, a Rogue in business to be one that knows the world.
1741. Middleton, Cicero (ed. 3), II. vii. 196. After the affair of Pindenissum, an exploit of more éclat and importance.
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), II. I. i. 3. The french … calling it an affair of honor.
1774. Mrs. Chapone, Improv. Mind, I. 182. If your friend should … intend to carry on an affair of love.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., xvii. (1868), 730. The enemy persevered in their attack—the affair was fiercely disputed.
1826. Disraeli, Viv. Grey, VII. viii. 434. Every affair of any character during the late war was fought over again in the tent.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., III. 216. The strenuous opposition … offered to the government … in the affair of Wood’s patent.
4. Loosely and familiarly of things material, in which use affair serves merely as a peg to support an epithet, ‘a poor affair,’ etc. Cf. concern.
1802. Mar. Edgeworth, Moral T., I. xx. (1816), 189. His wife was no grand affair … a merchant’s daughter.
1845. Darwin, Voy. Nat., viii. The Plata looks like a noble estuary on the map, but is in truth a poor affair.
1879. H. Northcott, in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 343/1. In this example the cone-headstock is a very small affair.
† 5. Doing, action, performance. Obs. rare.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 983. Wich ware to few aȝaine the gret affere Of galiot.
1596. Chapman, Iliad, V. 503. Mars … with his best affair, Obey’d the pleasure of the Sun.
† 6. Mode of doing; bearing, deportment, appearance, conduct. [Very common in OFr. Here only in Sc. writers.] Obs.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 361. He wes off full fayr effer, Wyss, curtaiss, and deboner. [Cf. Vie S. Alexi 31, Il est home de boen afere, Douz et creable et debonere.]
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., IX. xxvii. 315. Commendyt heily his affere His aporte and his manere.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 3043. Yhowr manhed, yhour worschip, and affere. Ibid., 3059. Most knychtly of affere.
c. 1505. Dunbar, Daunce, in Warton II. 445. Frawart was their affeir.
1575. in Pref. to Laneham’s Lett., 73. That fre answerd with fayr afeir.
† 7. Fortune, rank, dignity. [Very common in OFr. in phr. de haute afaire, de grant afaire, de povre afaire, etc. In Eng. ? only in Caxton.] Obs.
1480. Caxton, Ovid’s Metam., XIV. xii. She was ryche and of grete affayre. Ibid. (1481), Myrrour, III. xxi. 180. Our lord god is moche myghty, & of a right hye affayre.
