affinity

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af·fin·i·ty

(ə-fĭn′ĭ-tē)

n. pl. af·fin·i·ties

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.

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.

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.

[1275–1325; < Middle French < Latin affīnitās connection by marriage. See affine, -ity]

af•fin′i•tive, adj.

affinity

the condition of close relationship. Cf. consanguinity. See also marriage.

See also: Relationship

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 blood kinship, consanguinity, cognation - (anthropology) related by blood
	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" phylogenetic relation 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" kinship relation - an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together rapport, resonance - a relationship of mutual understanding or trust and agreement between people 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" chemical attraction 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"

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

2. similarity, relationship, relation, connection, alliance, correspondence, analogy, resemblance, closeness, likeness, compatibility, kinship The two plots share certain obvious affinities.
similarity difference, disparity, dissimilarity

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

affinity

noun

The quality or state of being alike:

alikeness, analogy, comparison, correspondence, likeness, parallelism, resemblance, similarity, similitude, uniformity, uniformness.

Translations

Affinität Beziehung

afinidad

mieltymyssukulainensukulaisuusviehtymys

affinité

afinitetsklonostsrodnostsrodstvo

affinit...affinità

affiniteitwelgezindheid

affinitet

afinidade

afinitate

близость привлекательность

affinity

[əˈfɪnɪtɪ] N

1. (= similarity, relationship) → afinidad f
A has certain affinities with B → entre A y B existe cierta afinidad

2. (= liking) → simpatía f
I feel no affinity whatsoever with or for him → no siento ninguna simpatía por él

Collins 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 f
the 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

affinity

(= liking) → Neigung f → (for, to zu); (for person) → Verbundenheit f → (for, to mit)

(= resemblance, connection) → Verwandtschaft f, → Affinität f (form)

(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

affinity

[əˈfɪnɪtɪ] n (relationship) → affinità f inv; (liking) → simpatia

af·fin·i·ty

n. afinidad, conformidad; conexión.

References in classic literature ?

In you, Miss Warden, I have found my affinity. Have you ever considered this matter of affinities?

And just as zero pops up instead of the number, so does our affinity come along and upset all our preconceived notions of the type of girl we should like to marry.'

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The realm of France, it is well known, was divided betwixt the Norman and Teutonic race, who spoke the language in which the word Yes is pronounced as oui, and the inhabitants of the southern regions, whose speech bearing some affinity to the Italian, pronounced the same word oc.

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The forces of gravitation, electricity, or chemical affinity are only distinguished from one another in that they are differently defined by reason.

And as the undefinable essence of the force moving the heavenly bodies, the undefinable essence of the forces of heat and electricity, or of chemical affinity, or of the vital force, forms the content of astronomy, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, and so on, just in the same way does the force of free will form the content of history.

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For that only stands fast upon his own centre; whereas all things, that have affinity with the heavens, move upon the centre of another, which they benefit.

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Besides, those who contrive this plan of community cannot easily avoid the following evils; namely, blows, murders involuntary or voluntary, quarrels, and reproaches, all which it would be impious indeed to be guilty of towards our fathers and mothers, or those who are nearly related to us; though not to those who are not connected to us by any tie of affinity: and certainly these mischiefs must necessarily happen oftener amongst those who do not know how they are connected to each other than those who do; and when they do happen, if it is among the first of these, they admit of a legal expiation, but amongst the latter that cannot be done.

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It is not my duty to indue facts and theories with affinity.

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Caustic potash has a great affinity for carbonic acid; and it is sufficient to shake it in order for it to seize upon the acid and form bicarbonate of potassium.

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But let me ask you another question: Has excess of pleasure any affinity to temperance?

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The rulers of society must be up to the work of the world, and equal to their versatile office: men of the right Caesarian pattern, who have great range of affinity. I am far from believing the timid maxim of Lord Falkland ("that for ceremony there must go two to it; since a bold fellow will go through the cunningest forms"), and am of opinion that the gentleman is the bold fellow whose forms are not to be broken through; and only that plenteous nature is rightful master which is the complement of whatever person it converses with.

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If any one will but take pains to observe the variety of actions to which he is equally inclined in certain moods of mind, and those to which he is averse, he will see how deep is the chain of affinity.