AFFINITY


Meaning of AFFINITY in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ə-ˈfi-nə-tē ]

noun

( plural -ties )

Etymology: Middle English affinite, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French affinité, from Latin affinitas, from affinis bordering on, related by marriage, from ad- + finis end, border

Date: 14th century

1. : relationship by marriage

2.

a. : sympathy marked by community of interest : kinship

b.

(1) : an attraction to or liking for something

people with an affinity to darkness — Mark Twain

pork and fennel have a natural affinity for each other — Abby Mandel

(2) : an attractive force between substances or particles that causes them to enter into and remain in chemical combination

c. : a person especially of the opposite sex having a particular attraction for one

3.

a. : likeness based on relationship or causal connection

found an affinity between the teller of a tale and the craftsman — Mary McCarthy

this investigation, with affinities to a case history, a psychoanalysis, a detective story — Oliver Sacks

b. : a relation between biological groups involving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common origin

Synonyms: see attraction

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.