Feeling of strong liking (9)
I believe the answer is:
affection
'feeling of strong liking' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for affection that I've seen before include "Warm regard" , "Fondness, tenderness" , "Fondness or liking" , "Fond attachment" , "Feeling of fondness" .)