affinity
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af·fin·i·ty
(ə-fĭn′ĭ-tē)n. pl. af·fin·i·ties
1.
a. A natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship: a special affinity with animals; a cultural affinity for the automobile.
b. A natural tendency or ability to use or do something: an affinity with languages; an affinity for making money.
c. A natural compatibility of one thing with another: "the affinity of pork and shellfish" (Alison Arnett).
2. Relationship by marriage: related by affinity to the wife.
3.
a. An inherent similarity between persons or things: "The genius of the Afro-Cubans lay in recognizing the affinity between swing-era jazz and their own tradition" (Gene Santoro).
b. Biology A relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin.
4.
a. An attraction or force between particles or chemicals that causes them to combine.
b. The degree to which particles or chemicals are likely to combine: Hemoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen. Also called avidity.
[Middle English affinite, relationship by marriage, from Old French afinite, from Latin affīnitās, from affīnis, related by marriage; see affined.]
Usage Note: In the sense of "attraction," affinity may be followed by of, between, or with. Thus one may speak of the close affinity of James and Samuel, or of the affinity between James and Samuel, or of James's affinity with Samuel. In its chemical use affinity is generally followed by for: a dye with an affinity for synthetic fabrics. · One might want to avoid using affinity as a simple synonym for liking, since almost half of the Usage Panel in 2016 rejected the example Her affinity for living in California led her to reject a chance to return to New York. Nevertheless, the sophisticated tone of affinity can lend an archness to certain contexts, as when Barbara Tuchman writes of Kaiser Wilhelm's "affinity for coarse physical jokes practiced upon his courtiers." This may be why 79 percent of the Usage Panel approved of this quotation when it was presented as an example.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
affinity
(əˈfɪnɪtɪ)n, pl -ties
1. (foll by: with or for) a natural liking, taste, or inclination towards a person or thing
2. the person or thing so liked
3. a close similarity in appearance or quality; inherent likeness
4. relationship by marriage or by ties other than of blood, as by adoption. Compare consanguinity
5. (Biology) similarity in structure, form, etc, between different animals, plants, or languages
6. (Chemistry) chem
a. the tendency for two substances to combine; chemical attraction
b. a measure of the tendency of a chemical reaction to take place expressed in terms of the free energy change. Symbol: A
7. (Biochemistry) biology a measure of the degree of interaction between two molecules, such as an antigen and antibody or a hormone and its receptor
[C14: via Old French from Latin affīnitāt- connected by marriage, from affīnis bordering on, related]
afˈfinitive adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
af•fin•i•ty
(əˈfɪn ɪ ti)n., pl. -ties,
adj. n.
1. a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.
2. the object of such liking or attraction.
3. relationship by marriage or by ties other than those of blood (disting. from consanguinity).
4. close resemblance, agreement, or connection.
5. a resemblance of structure or behavior that results from or implies a phylogenetic relationship.
6. the force by which atoms are held together in chemical compounds.
adj. 7. designating persons who share the same interests.
af•fin′i•tive, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
affinity
the condition of close relationship. Cf. consanguinity. See also marriage.
See also: Relationship-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | affinity - (immunology) the attraction between an antigen and an antibody immunology - the branch of medical science that studies the body's immune system attraction, attractive force - the force by which one object attracts another |
2. | affinity - (anthropology) kinship by marriage or adoption; not a blood relationship anthropology - the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings family relationship, kinship, relationship - (anthropology) relatedness or connection by blood or marriage or adoption steprelationship - a family relationship by virtue of remarriage | |
3. | affinity - (biology) state of relationship between organisms or groups of organisms resulting in resemblance in structure or structural parts; "in anatomical structure prehistoric man shows close affinity with modern humans" biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms family relationship, kinship, relationship - (anthropology) relatedness or connection by blood or marriage or adoption | |
4. | affinity - a close connection marked by community of interests or similarity in nature or character; "found a natural affinity with the immigrants"; "felt a deep kinship with the other students"; "anthropology's kinship with the humanities" relation - an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together sympathy - a relation of affinity or harmony between people; whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other; "the two of them were in close sympathy" | |
5. | affinity - the force attracting atoms to each other and binding them together in a molecule; "basic dyes have an affinity for wool and silk" force - (physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity; "force equals mass times acceleration" | |
6. | affinity - inherent resemblance between persons or things resemblance - similarity in appearance or external or superficial details | |
7. | affinity - a natural attraction or feeling of kinship; "an affinity for politics"; "the mysterious affinity between them"; "James's affinity with Sam" attractiveness, attraction - the quality of arousing interest; being attractive or something that attracts; "her personality held a strange attraction for him" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
affinity
noun
1. attraction, liking, leaning, sympathy, inclination, rapport, fondness, partiality There is a natural affinity between the two.
attraction hostility, dislike, hatred, loathing, animosity, aversion, revulsion, antipathy, abhorrence, repugnance
attraction hostility, dislike, hatred, loathing, animosity, aversion, revulsion, antipathy, abhorrence, repugnance
2. similarity, relationship, relation, connection, alliance, correspondence, analogy, resemblance, closeness, likeness, compatibility, kinship The two plots share certain obvious affinities.
similarity difference, disparity, dissimilarity
similarity difference, disparity, dissimilarity
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
affinity
nounThe quality or state of being alike:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
mieltymyssukulainensukulaisuusviehtymys
afinitetsklonostsrodnostsrodstvo
affiniteitwelgezindheid
affinitet
afinitate
affinity
[əˈfɪnɪtɪ] NCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
affinity
[əˈfɪnɪti] n → affinité fthe strange affinity between man and nature → l'étrange affinité entre l'homme et la nature
to have an affinity with sb/sth → avoir des affinités avec qn/qch
to have an affinity for sth → être attiré(e) par qchaffinity card n carte de crédit émise en collaboration avec une association caritative et grâce à laquelle un pourcentage de chaque transaction est versé à cette association
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
affinity
n
(Chem) → Affinität f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
af·fin·i·ty
n. afinidad, conformidad; conexión.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012