affinity 
100 
6. In biol. f morphological and implied genetic 
relationship, resulting in a resemblance in gen- 
eral plan or structure, or in the essential struc- 
tural parts, existing between two organisms or 
4. In kin; the solemn declaration made by 
Quakers, Moravians, or others conscientiously 
opposed to taking oaths, in cases where an oath 
is generally required. False affirmations made by 
groups ot organisms ; true and near structural such persons are punishable in the same way as perjury. 
relationship, predicable of two or more organ- affirmative (a-fer'ma-tiv), a. and . [< ME. 
isms morphologically related, however diverse affirmatyff, n.J'< OF. dffirmatif, F. affirmatif, -ive, 
physiologically. a., affirmative, u., < L. affirmatives, < affirmatus, 
At first we find marsupials, and Carnivore with marsu- P p '. of a ffi rma re ' see affirm.'] I. a. 1. Charac- 
pial affinities. J. t'iske, Evolutionist, p. 24. ' erized by affirmation or assertion; assertive; 
7. In psychol, that in ideas which renders them P?!i tiv LP f onn ,i. not n . e g ativ . e : ?s. an affinimtin- 
afflict 
used especially with reference to ceramics and 
bronzes. Decoration of this kind is characteristic of 
the famous Palissy ware, which is adorned with affixes in 
the shape of serpents, lizards, fishes, and the like ; and 
8. In geom., the relationship between two fig- 
ures in the same plane which correspond to 
each other, point to noint and straight line to 
straight line, any point of the one lying in a 
fixed direction from the corresponding point 
of the other, and at a distance from it propor- 
tional to its distance from a fixed line, called 
the axis of affinity, the direction of which is 
that of lines joining corresponding points, 
affirm (a-ferm'), v. [Formerly afferm, but now 
spelled so as to approach the L. ; < ME. offer- 
men, afermen, < OF. afermer. affermer, later 
affirmer, affirm, avouch, mod. F. affermer = 
Pr. affermar = Sp. aftrmar = Pg. affirmar = It. 
affirmare, < L. affirmare, adfirmare, present as 
fixed, aver, affirm, < ad, to, +firmare, make firm, 
<firmus, firm: see firm, a.] I. trans. 1. To 
state or assert positively; tell with confidence ; 
aver; declare to be a fact; maintain as true: 
opposed to deny. 
One Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be 
alive. Acts xxv. 19. 
The gentleman came up, and asked pardon for having 
disturbed us, affirming that he was ignorant of our being 
so near. Golds: 
Hence 2. 
dogmatic. 
Be not confident and affirmative in an uncertain matter. 
Jer. Taylor, Holy Living, p. 102. 
3. Giving affirmation or assent ; confirmatory; 
ratifying; concurring; agreeing: as, an affirm- 
ative decree or judgment by an appellate court ; 
an affirmative answer to a request. 
II. n. 1. That which affirms or asserts; a 
positive proposition or averment : as, two neg- 
atives make an affirmative. 
Your four negatives make your two affirmatii > * 
Shak., T. N., v. 1. 
2. That which gives affirmation or assent ; the 
agreeing or concurring part or side : with the 
definite article : as, to support the affirmative ; 
to vote in the affirmative (that is, in favor of the 
affirmative side), as in a legislative body. 
A government is perfect of which the affirmative can be 
truly stated in answering these questions. Brougham, 
3. In judicial proceedings, the side which, 
whether in itsel/ an affirmation or a negation 
requires first to be supported by proof, pre- 
Aflixes. 
Italo-Greek Vase in the Campana Collection. Louvre Museum. 
(From "L'Art pour Tous.") 
modern ceramic ware of both fine and ordinary quality is 
often ornamented with flowers, figures, etc., in relief The 
most beautiful examples of the artistic use of affixes are, 
Pertain- 
i ur u. negation, nfKvgi fuf iVc l\^i rv yff 4- 71T> *- 
S^| Sgilfa^^SK^^Kg gg f affiX ' having trcharacttrif anlZ: 
, or ratify: 4.' SS^flJ^SiSSLf^SSbfSSS &***** (f-iks-a'shon), . [<ML. as if */- 
;he judgment, assent is expressed. jtxatto(n-), < affixare: see affix, _v.] The act 
2. To make firm ; establish, confirm, 
=V^2"V^'V f f re ' 8e C ' affirmatively (a-fer'ma-tiv-li), ,*,. 
II. intrans. 1. To declare or assert positively 
or solemnly. 
Not that I so affirm, though so it seem 
To thee, who hast thy dwelling here on earth. 
Milton, P. L., viii. 117. 
All books that get fairly into the vital air of the world 
were written by the . . . affirming and advancing class, 
who utter what tens of thousands feel though they cannot 
say. Emerion, Books. 
_ , . 
of affixing, attaching, or appending ; affixion. 
[Rare.] 
In his scourging, in his affixion, in his transfixion. 
Sp. Hall, Sermon, Gal. ii. : 
ful thing is: opposed to negatively. 
I believe in God. First, in God affirmatively, 1 believe 
he is; against atheism. Secondly, in God exclusively, 
not in gods ; as against polytheism and idolatry. 
.... B P- Pearson, Expos, of Creed, i. affixture (a-fiks'tur), . [< affix + -tare, after 
2. To declare solemnly before a court or ma- affirmatory (a-fer'ma-to-ri), a. [< LL. as if *af- fixture.'] 1. The act of affixing; attachment, 
gistrate, but without oath (a practice allowed firmatorius, < affirmator, an affirmer, < L. affir- 2. That which is affixed. [Rare.] 
where the affirmant has scruples against tak- mare: 8ee affirm.'] 1. Affirmative ; assertive, afflatet (a-flaf), r. t. [< L. afflatus, pp. of a/- 
ing an oath); make a legal affirmation. See An oath may as well sometimes be o^iraiofory as prom- florc, adflare, blow on, < ad, to, + flare, blow: 
affirmation. issory. Hoblies, Gov. and Society, ii. 20. see blow 1 .] To breathe on ; inspire, 
affirmable (a-fer'ma-bl), . [< affirm + -able.'] 2. Dependent upon an affirmative principle: afflation (a-fla'shon), n. [< L. as if *afflatio(n-), 
Capable of "being "affirmed, asserted, or de- as > an affirmatory ^ syllogism. De Morgan. <afflare, adflare : see afflatus.'] A blowing or 
clared : followed by of: as, an attribute affirm- affirmer (a-fer'mer), . One who affirms. 
able of every just man. The burthen of the proof in law resteth upon the affirmer 
Bp. Bramhall, Schism Guarded, p. 28s! 
affitcht, r. t. [< ME. affitcte , afficche, afficlte, < OF. 
aficher, afichier, mod. F. afficher = Pr. aficar, 
afiquar = Sp. afljar = It. afficcare, < ML. as if 
In a way capa- 
affirmably (a-fer'ma-bli), adv. 
ble of affirmation. 
affirmance (a-fer'mans), n. [< OF. affermance, 
afermance, < affermer, afermer, affirm: see af- 
firm.'] 1. The act of affirming; asseveration; 
assertion. 
E'en when sober truth prevails throughout, 
They swear it, till affirmance breeds a doubt. 
Courper, Conversation, 1. 66. 
2. Confirmation; ratification. 
All sentences are liable to the king's affirmance or re. 
WMl Brougham. 
3. In law : (a) The coufinnatiou by an appel- 
late court of the adjudication of a lower court 
or officer. (6) Confirmation of a voidable act. 
affirmant (a-fer'mant), n. [<L. affirman (t-)s, 
ppr. of affirmare: see affirm.] 1. One who af- 
firms or asserts. 2. In law, one who makes 
affirmation instead of taking an oath. 
affirmation (af-er-ma'shon), n. [< L. affirma- 
#O(K-), < affirmare, affirm: see affirm.] 1. The 
assertion that something is, or is true ; the as- 
signment of a certain character to an object : 
opposed to denial or negation, in ordinary formal 
logic, the distinction relates merely to the form of expres- 
sion, but usually affirmation is taken to mean the assertion 
of something positive and definite, as opposed to a merely 
negative assertion. 
"affigicare, a freq. form equiv. to affixare, freq. 
breathing on ; inspiration, 
afflatus (a-fla'tus), n. [< L. afflatus, adjlatus, 
< affline, adflare, blow on: see afflate.'] 1. A 
blowing or breathing on, as of wind ; a breath 
or blast of wind. [Rare or unused.] 2. An 
impelling mental force acting from within; 
supernal impulse or power, as of prophecy or 
religious, poetic, or oratorical in- 
2. That which is affirmed ; a proposition that a ^JF (**'* 
; j i j i _ i_ . ' r . r nfnviiQ nn 
(ff. E. D.) 
affix (a-fiks'), v. t.; pret. and pp. affixed (for- 
merly often and still occasionally affixf), ppr. 
affixing. [< ML. affixare, freq. of L. affigere, ad- 
figere, pp. affixus, adfix-us, fasten to, < ad, to, + 
figere, fasten, fix. The older form in E. was 
affitch, q. v.] To fix; fasten, join, or attach; 
conjoin, add, or append; make an adjunct or 
part of : followed by to. 
Archbishop Whitgift was the first to affix Ms name to 
the death warrant. Bancroft, Hist. U. S., I. 226. 
As plants became more highly developed and affixed to 
the ground, they would be compelled to be anemophilous 
in order to intercross. 
Darwin, Cross and Self Fertilization, p. 409. 
We hesitate at doing Spenser so great an honor as to 
think that he intended" by his allegory the sense we affix 
to it. Emerson, Art. 
=Syn. Add, Affix, Annex, etc. (see add), suffix, superadd 
tack on, fasten on, join. 
is declared to be true ; averment ; assertion. 
That he shall receive no benefit from Christ, is the affir- 
mation whereon his despair is founded. 
Hammond, Fundamentals. 
3. Confirmation ; ratification ; establishment 
of something of prior origin. 
Our statutes sometimes are only the affirmation or rati- 
fication of that which by common law was held before. 
Hooker. 
F> affixe ' a ' and n '> < 
~ 
affixus, adflxus, pp. : see affix, v.~] 1 . That which 
is joined, attached, or added; an addition or 
attachment. 2. InpMlol., a syllable or letter, 
prefix or suffix, attached to a word or a verbal 
root or stem, as in good-wess, veri-fy, civil-z>e, 
-able, un-con-form-aMe. 3. In decorative art, 
any small feature, as a figure, a flower, or 
the like, added for ornament to a vessel or 
other utensil, to an architectural feature, etc. : 
without his affiai-us. J. Spence, The Odyst-.,. 
(a-fle-ra'), a. [P., pp. of affleurer (Pr. 
afflourar), make level or flush, < a fleur = Pr. 
a flour = Pg. a flor = It. a fior, on a level, even, 
flush: appar. < L. adflorem : ad, to, at; florem, 
ace. of flos, flower, in the later sense of 'upper 
surface ' (see flower), in this sense perhaps as- 
sociated with, if not derived from, G. flur = E. 
floor, q. v.] In decorative art, sunk to a level 
with the surface ; not projecting : said of a 
medallion, a disk, or other ornamental adjunct, 
inlaid as part of a design. 
afflict (a-flikf), v. t. [In earlier form afliglit, 
q. v.; <'L. afflictare, adflictare, trouble, agitate, 
vex greatly, intensive of affligere, adfligere, pp. 
afflictus, adflictus, beat down, dash to the ground, 
<ad, to, +fligere, beat, strike, prob. akin to E. 
I>low3, a stroke, hit.] If. To strike down; pros- 
trate; overthrow; rout. 
And, reassembling our affiicted powers, 
Consult how we may henceforth most offend 
Our enemy. Milton, P. L., i. 186. 
2. To distress with mental or bodily pain; 
trouble greatly or grievously; harass or tor- 
ment : as, to be afflicted with the gout, or by 
persecution. 
Ye shall not affiict any widow or fatherless child. 
Ex. xxii. 22. 
