The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Effect \Ef*fect"\, n. [L. effectus, fr. efficere, effectum, to
   effect; ex + facere to make: cf. F. effet, formerly also
   spelled effect. See Fact.]
   1. Execution; performance; realization; operation; as, the
      law goes into effect in May.
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            That no compunctious visitings of nature
            Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
            The effect and it.                    --Shak.
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   2. Manifestation; expression; sign.
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            All the large effects
            That troop with majesty.              --Shak.
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   3. In general: That which is produced by an agent or cause;
      the event which follows immediately from an antecedent,
      called the cause; result; consequence; outcome; fruit; as,
      the effect of luxury.
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            The effect is the unfailing index of the amount of
            the cause.                            --Whewell.
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   4. Impression left on the mind; sensation produced.
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            Patchwork . . . introduced for oratorical effect.
                                                  --J. C.
                                                  Shairp.
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            The effect was heightened by the wild and lonely
            nature of the place.                  --W. Irving.
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   5. Power to produce results; efficiency; force; importance;
      account; as, to speak with effect.
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   6. Consequence intended; purpose; meaning; general intent; --
      with to.
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            They spake to her to that effect.     --2 Chron.
                                                  xxxiv. 22.
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   7. The purport; the sum and substance. "The effect of his
      intent." --Chaucer.

   8. Reality; actual meaning; fact, as distinguished from mere
      appearance.
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            No other in effect than what it seems. --Denham.
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   9. pl. Goods; movables; personal estate; -- sometimes used to
      embrace real as well as personal property; as, the people
      escaped from the town with their effects.
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   For effect, for an exaggerated impression or excitement.

   In effect, in fact; in substance. See 8, above.

   Of no effect, Of none effect, To no effect, or Without
   effect, destitute of results, validity, force, and the like;
      vain; fruitless. "Making the word of God of none effect
      through your tradition." --Mark vii. 13. "All my study be
      to no effect." --Shak.

   To give effect to, to make valid; to carry out in practice;
      to push to its results.

   To take effect, to become operative, to accomplish aims.
      --Shak.

   Syn: Effect, Consequence, Result.

   Usage: These words indicate things which arise out of some
          antecedent, or follow as a consequent. Effect, which
          may be regarded as the generic term, denotes that
          which springs directly from something which can
          properly be termed a cause. A consequence is more
          remote, not being strictly caused, nor yet a mere
          sequence, but following out of and following
          indirectly, or in the train of events, something on
          which it truly depends. A result is still more remote
          and variable, like the rebound of an elastic body
          which falls in very different directions. We may
          foresee the effects of a measure, may conjecture its
          consequences, but can rarely discover its final
          results.
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                Resolving all events, with their effects
                And manifold results, into the will
                And arbitration wise of the Supreme. --Cowper.
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                Shun the bitter consequence, for know,
                The day thou eatest thereof, . . . thou shalt
                die.                              --Milton.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Effect \Ef*fect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Effected; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Effecting.]
   1. To produce, as a cause or agent; to cause to be.
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            So great a body such exploits to effect. --Daniel.
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   2. To bring to pass; to execute; to enforce; to achieve; to
      accomplish.
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            To effect that which the divine counsels had
            decreed.                              --Bp. Hurd.
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            They sailed away without effecting their purpose.
                                                  --Jowett (Th.
                                                  ).

   Syn: To accomplish; fulfill; achieve; complete; execute;
        perform; attain. See Accomplish.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

effect
    n 1: a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous
         phenomenon; "the magnetic effect was greater when the rod
         was lengthwise"; "his decision had depressing consequences
         for business"; "he acted very wise after the event" [syn:
         consequence, effect, outcome, result, event,
         issue, upshot]
    2: an outward appearance; "he made a good impression"; "I wanted
       to create an impression of success"; "she retained that bold
       effect in her reproductions of the original painting" [syn:
       impression, effect]
    3: an impression (especially one that is artificial or
       contrived); "he just did it for effect"
    4: the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
       [syn: effect, essence, burden, core, gist]
    5: (of a law) having legal validity; "the law is still in
       effect" [syn: effect, force]
    6: a symptom caused by an illness or a drug; "the effects of
       sleep loss"; "the effect of the anesthetic"
    v 1: produce; "The scientists set up a shock wave" [syn:
         effect, effectuate, set up]
    2: act so as to bring into existence; "effect a change"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

462 Moby Thesaurus words for "effect":
   Z, abide by, accomplish, achieve, actualize, actually, adhere to,
   administer, affective meaning, aftereffect, aftermath, aim,
   ambition, amperage, angle, animus, apodosis, armipotence, artifact,
   ascendancy, aspect, aspiration, at bottom, attain, author,
   authority, basically, bear, bearing, beef, beget, black power,
   brainchild, breed, bring, bring about, bring forth, bring off,
   bring on, bring to effect, bring to pass, brute force, call forth,
   capacity, carry out, carry through, catastrophe, cause, ceasing,
   cessation, charge, charisma, charm, child, clout, coda, cogence,
   cogency, coinage, coloring, commit, compass, complete, composition,
   compulsion, conceive, conclusion, concoction, configuration,
   connotation, consequence, constitute, consummate, consummation,
   contrive, control, corollary, counsel, crack of doom, create,
   creation, creature, credit, crowning achievement, culmination,
   curtain, curtains, deal with, death, decease, denotation,
   denouement, descendant, desideration, desideratum, design, desire,
   destination, destiny, determination, development, dint, discharge,
   dispatch, dispose of, distillation, do, do the job, do the trick,
   do to, dominance, domination, doom, draw down, draw on, drift,
   drive, duress, dynasty, effectively, effectiveness, effectuality,
   effectuate, efficacy, eidolon, elicit, eminence, enact,
   enchantment, end, end point, end product, ending, energy, enforce,
   engender, envoi, epilogue, eschatology, essence, essentially,
   establish, esteem, event, eventuality, evoke, execute, expiration,
   extension, extract, facet, fashion, fate, father, favor, feature,
   fetch, figure, fill out, final solution, final twitch, final words,
   finale, finality, finis, finish, fixed purpose, flower power,
   force, force majeure, forcefulness, form, found, fruit, fulfill,
   full blast, full force, function, generate, gestalt, gestate, get,
   gist, give birth to, give origin to, give rise to, go and do, goal,
   good feeling, grammatical meaning, guise, handiwork, heir, hold,
   honor, idea, image, imago, impact, implement, implication, import,
   importance, impression, in effect, in truth, inaugurate, incept,
   incidental power, induce, inflict, influence, influentiality,
   insinuation, inspire, install, instigate, institute, intendment,
   intension, intent, intention, invention, invoke, issue, izzard,
   knock off, last, last breath, last gasp, last things, last trumpet,
   last words, latter end, lead, leadership, leverage,
   lexical meaning, light, likeness, line, lineage, lineaments,
   literal meaning, look, magnetism, main force, main strength, make,
   make out, mana, manage, manner, manufacture, masterpiece,
   masterwork, mastery, materialize, meaning, might, might and main,
   mightiness, mind, mintage, moment, more or less, motivate, motive,
   moxie, muscle power, new mintage, nisus, object, objective,
   observe, obtain, occasion, offspring, omega, opera, opus, opuscule,
   organize, originate, origination, outcome, outgrowth, overtone,
   pay, payoff, perform, period, peroration, perpetrate, personality,
   persuasion, pertinence, phase, phasis, pith, pizzazz, plan, point,
   polish off, poop, posterity, potence, potency, potentiality, power,
   power pack, power structure, power struggle, powerfulness,
   practical consequence, precipitate, predominance, preponderance,
   prepotency, pressure, prestige, procure, produce, product,
   production, productiveness, productivity, project, promulgate,
   proposal, prosecute, prospectus, provoke, puissance, pull,
   pull off, punch, purchase, purport, purpose, pursuance, push,
   put away, put in force, put through, quietus, ramification,
   range of meaning, real meaning, realize, really, reference,
   referent, regard, reign, relation, relevance, render, repercussion,
   repute, resolution, resolve, respect, resting place, result, rule,
   sake, say, scope, secure, seeming, semantic cluster,
   semantic field, semblance, sensation, sense, sequel, sequence,
   set afloat, set on foot, set up, shape, side, significance,
   signification, significatum, signifie, simulacrum, sinew, sire,
   slant, so to speak, span of meaning, spirit, steam, stoppage,
   stopping place, strength, striving, strong arm, structural meaning,
   study, style, suasion, substance, subtle influence, succeed,
   successor, suggestion, sum, sum and substance, superinduce,
   superiority, superpower, supremacy, swan song, sway,
   symbolic meaning, take and do, take care of, take effect, tenor,
   term, terminal, termination, terminus, things, total effect,
   totality of associations, transact, transferred meaning, truly,
   turn out, turn the trick, twist, unadorned meaning, undertone,
   up and do, upper hand, upshot, validity, value, vehemence, view,
   viewpoint, vigor, vim, virility, virtually, virtue, virulence,
   vitality, wattage, weight, whip hand, will, windup, wise, work,
   work out, wreak, yield



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

EFFECT. The operation of a law, of an agreement, or an act, is called its
effect.
     2. By the laws of the United States, a patent cannot be granted for an
effect only, but it may be for a new mode or application of machinery to
produce effects. 1 Gallis. 478; see 4 Mason, 1; Pet. C. C. R. 394; 2 N. H.
R. 61.



The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):

EFFECT, n.  The second of two phenomena which always occur together in
the same order.  The first, called a Cause, is said to generate the
other -- which is no more sensible than it would be for one who has
never seen a dog except in the pursuit of a rabbit to declare the
rabbit the cause of a dog.