affect1

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'attack as a disease'): from French affecter or Latin affect- 'influenced, affected', from the verb afficere (see affect²)

Affect and effect are quite different in meaning, though frequently confused. Affect is primarily a verb meaning ‘make a difference to’, as in their gender need not affect their career. Effect, on the other hand, is used both as a noun and a verb, meaning ‘a result’ as a noun (move the cursor until you get the effect you want) or ‘bring about a result’ as a verb (growth in the economy can only be effected by stringent economic controls).