analogy
analogy Lexical Profile
analogy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A comparison between two otherwise unlike things based on a shared similarity of features or structure, typically used for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
"The professor drew an analogy between the human heart and a mechanical pump to help the students understand blood circulation."
In evolutionary biology, the correspondence in function or appearance between anatomical structures of different species that have evolved independently rather than from a common ancestor.
"The wings of insects and the wings of birds represent a classic biological analogy resulting from convergent evolution."
In linguistics, the process by which irregular or unfamiliar word forms are modified or newly created to conform to regular, more common grammatical patterns.
"Young children often say 'goed' instead of 'went' by analogy with regular past-tense verbs."
• Rhymes for analogy
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Middle French and Latin from the Ancient Greek 'analogia' (proportion), originally a mathematical term combining 'ana-' (according to) and 'logos' (ratio or proportion).