AFF 



AFFINITY, Lat. affinitas, from affinis. 

 near. 1. Among civilians, the relation of 

 one of the parties married to the kindred 

 of the other. It is distinguished into 

 three kinds: (a} Direct affinity is that 

 subsisting between the husband and his 

 wife's relations by blood, or between the 

 wife and her husband's relations by blood. 

 (6) Secondary affinity is that which subsists 

 between the husband's and wife's rela- 

 tions by marriage, (c) Collateral affinity 

 is that which subsists between the hus- 

 band and the relations of the wife's 

 relations. The degrees of affinity are 

 always the same with those of consan- 

 guinity. 2. In natural history, a relation 



of animals to one another in the similarity 

 of a greater proportion of their organisa- 

 tion: distinct from analogy, which denotes 

 a resemblance of external form. Thus, 

 anatomy shows that the porpoise has an 

 affinity to man, and its appearance denotes 



a close analogy to a fish. 3. In chemistry, 



the tendency which dissimilar particles of 

 matter have to combine together and 

 form new compounds, and the power 

 which causes them to continue in com- 

 bination. It is otherwise called chemical at- 

 traction. This preference of uniting, which 

 a given substance is found to exhibit with 

 regard to other substances, is by an easy 

 metaphor called elective affinity, and is of 

 two kinds : (a) When a simple substance 

 is presented to a substance compounded 

 of two elements, and unites with one of 

 them so as to exclude the other, the effect 

 is said to be produced by simple elective 

 affinity: it is called simple, because only 

 one compound is decomposed, elective, 

 because the substance seems to choose one 

 body to combine with rather than another. 

 (o) When two compound substances, each 

 consisting of two elements, are brought 

 together, and a mutual exchange of an 

 element takes place, by means of which 

 two new substances are formed differing 

 in their properties from the original com- 



rnd. the effect is said to be produced 

 double elective affinity, by complex af- 

 finity, or by double decomposition. It often 

 happens, that bodies which have no ten- 

 dency to unite are made to combine by 

 means of a third, which is then called the 

 medium: thus, water and the fat oils are 

 made to unite by means of an alkali in 

 forming soap. Some writers call this action 

 the affinity of intermedium, others disposing 

 affinity, others again reciprocal affinity. 

 Affinity agrees with sensible attraction in 

 every point which it has been possible to 

 determine. All the elementary substances 

 yet known are 54 : by the union of these 

 with one another are formed the almost in- 

 irimerable substances which are met with 

 in nature, or which are only formed arti- 

 ficially. These substances have, besides, 

 different degrees of affinity for one another. 



36 



APT 



ATFIRMA'TIOS, a solemn declaration, 

 nnrler the penalty of perjury, by those con- 

 scientiously objecting to an oath; in law, 

 equivalent to testimony on oath. An Indul- 

 gence to Quakers under Will. III., extended 

 to all conscientious scruples under Will IV. 



AFFIR'MATIVE. In algebra, synonymovs 

 with positive: the term applied to quan- 

 tities which have the sign -t- prefixed to 

 them, in contradistinction to negative 

 quantities, which have the sign pre- 

 fixed to them. 2. In logic, a term used 



to denote the quality of a proposition 

 which asserts the agreement of the pre- 

 dicate with the subject. Example : " Man 

 is an animal." 



AFFLA'Tus,Lat. from afflo, to blow upon. 

 A blast of wind. The word is also used 

 for a species of erysipelas, which attacks 

 suddenly, as if produced by some unwhole- 

 some wind blowing on the part. 



AFFO'RCEMENT, from ad and force. In 

 old charters, a fortress for defence. 



AFFOREST A'TION , from ad and. forest. The 

 turning of ground into forest or wood 

 land, as was done by the first Norman 

 kings in England, for the purpose of 

 affording them the pleasures of the 

 chase. 



AFFRAT, or ATFRAIMENT, from Fr. ef- 

 frayer, to frighten. In law, the fighting 

 of two or more persons in a public place, 

 to the terror of others. A fighting in 

 private is not an affray in the legal sense. 



AFFRONTED (Fr. nffrontee}. In heraldry, 

 front to front: applied to animals that 

 face each other. 



AFFRONTING. In heraldry, opposed face 

 to face. See AFFRONTED. 



ArFrsioN, from Lat. ad and fundo, to 

 pour out. Affusion with cold water is a 

 mode of treatment in fever, brought into 

 general notice by the late Dr. Currie, of 

 Liverpool : it consists merely in placing 

 the patient in a bathing tub, and pouring 

 a pailful of cold water upon the body. 

 This mode of treatment has been gene- 

 rally attended with success, when em- 

 ployed in the early stage of the disease. 



AFORA, from Lat. a, and /ores. A term 

 applied to plants in which the seed-vessel* 

 are not furnished with valvnles. 



AFORE, from a, and fore. In nautical 

 language, towards the head of the ship ; 

 further forward, or nearer the stern; e.g. 



" afore the windlass." Afore the mast is 



applied to a common seaman, or one who 

 does duty on the main-deck, or has no 

 command or office aboard. 



AFT. In nautical language, applied to 

 what pertains to the stern of a ship, as, 



the aft part of the ship. Fore and aft 



means the whole length of the ship. 



Right aft means in a direct line with ths 

 stern. See ABAFT. 



AFTER-BIRTH, the game with placenta 

 (q.v.i. 



