affaire

See also: affairé

English

Noun

affaire (plural affaires)

1. Obsolete spelling of affair
   • 1570, Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster, A Preface to the Reader:

     M. Secretarie hath this accustomed maner, though his head be neuer so full of most weightie affaires of the Realme, yet, at diner time he doth seeme to lay them alwaies aside

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch affare, from Old French [Term?]. Spelling borrowed again from Middle French affaire. The sense “sexual affair” has been borrowed from English affair.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɑˈfɛː.rə/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: af‧fai‧re
• Rhymes: -ɛːrə

Noun

affaire f (plural affaires, diminutive affairtje n)

1. matter, issue
2. political scandal or controversy
3. sexual affair
4. (dated) business

Derived terms

• affairisme
• affairist

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French

Etymology

a- +‎ faire This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.fɛʁ/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʁ
• Homophone: affaires

Noun

affaire f (plural affaires)

1. affair, business
2. deal
3. (informal) (usually used in the plural) belonging (something physical that is owned)
4. (informal) things; stuff
   • 1996, Chrystine Brouillet, C'est pour mieux t'aimer, mon enfant, →ISBN, page 66:

     "Cibole! C'est pas le genre d'affaire qu'on oublie!" — Dangit! It's not the kind of stuff you just forget!

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

5. (Quebec, informal) thingamajig
6. (informal, Louisiana) thing

Usage notes

• In the meaning of "thing, stuff", the word is also used as a plurale tantum.

Derived terms

• avoir affaire à

Related terms

• faire
• affairement
• affairer

Descendants

• → Breton: afer
• → Dutch: affaire
• → English: affair
  • → Spanish: affair
• → German: Affäre
• → Italian: affaire
• → Macedonian: афера (afera)
• → Polish: afera
• → Russian: афера (afera)
• → Serbo-Croatian: афера
• → Spanish: affaire
• → Swedish: affär

Further reading

• “affaire” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from French affaire.

Noun

affaire m (invariable)

1. Political controversy

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Norman

Etymology

From Old French afaire, from Latin ad + faciō.

Noun

affaire f (uncountable)

1. (Guernsey) things

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Old French

Noun

affaire f (oblique plural affaires, nominative singular affaire, nominative plural affaires)

1. Alternative form of afaire

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French affaire.

Noun

affaire m (plural affaires)

1. affair, love affair

   Synonyms: aventura, affair

Further reading

• “affaire” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.