Dictionary

affinity en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /əˈfɪnɪti/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English affinite, from Old French affinité. Ostensibly equivalent to affine + -ity. See also af-.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing.
2. (countable, uncountable) A family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity (e.g. sister).
3. (countable, uncountable) A kinsman or kinswoman of a such relationship; one who is affinal.
4. (countable, uncountable) The fact of and manner in which something is related to another.
   • There are, of course, certain differences of detail; for example, the placing of the safety valves on the boiler barrel behind the dome, which follows the practice in the Riddles 2-8-0 and 2-10-0 locomotives for the Ministry of Supply; but taken all in all, Britannia's boiler has a closer affinity with the Doncaster designs than with any other. 1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 273:
   • A “signature” was placed on all things by God to indicate their affinities — but it was hidden, hence the search for arcane knowledge. Knowing was guessing and interpreting, not observing or demonstrating. 1997, Chris Horrocks, “Introducing Foucault”, in The Renaissance Episteme, Totem Books, Icon Books, →ISBN, page 67:
5. (countable, uncountable) Any romantic relationship.
6. (countable, uncountable) A love interest; a paramour.
   • "Cut it short, sis, cut it short," he would growl at her if she started to murmur sweet "coo-coos" to her affinity stationed on the other end of the wire. 1916 August 14, The Electrical Experimenter, New York, page 248, column 3:
7. (countable, uncountable) Any passionate love for something.
8. (countable, uncountable) Resemblances between biological populations, suggesting that they have a common origin, type or stock.
9. (countable, uncountable) Structural resemblances between minerals; resemblances that suggest that they are of a common origin or type.
10. (countable, uncountable) An attractive force between atoms, or groups of atoms, that contributes towards their forming bonds.
11. (countable, uncountable) The attraction between an antibody and an antigen
12. (countable, uncountable) A tendency to keep a task running on the same processor in a symmetric multiprocessing operating system to reduce the frequency of cache misses.
13. (countable, uncountable) An automorphism of affine space.

Forms

Deriveds

chemical affinity (Expressions) · socioaffinity (Compound words) · affinity group (Expressions) · affinitive (Compound words) · self-affinity (Compound words) · hydroaffinity (Compound words) · immunoaffinity (Compound words) · microaffinity (Compound words) · electron affinity (Expressions) · affinity reagent (Expressions) · affinity fraud (Expressions) · equiaffinity (Compound words) · disaffinity (Compound words) · elective affinity (Expressions) · affinity card (Expressions) · lipoaffinity (Compound words) · nonaffinity (Compound words) · chemoaffinity (Compound words) · photoaffinity (Compound words) · metalloaffinity (Compound words) · bioaffinity (Compound words)

Hyponyms

microaffinity

Synonyms

kindred

Translations (109)

tr alaka (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · pt afinidade (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · sh srȍdnōst (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · fi yhteys (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ru тя́га (passionate love for something) · ca afinitat (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ca afinitat (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · hu vonzalom (romantic relationship) · tr ilgi (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · bho आत्मीयता (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · tr sıhriyet (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · bg афините́т (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · fi viehtymys (passionate love for something) · pl powinowactwo (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · nl welgezindheid (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · de Affinität (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · ru тя́га (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · fr affinité (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · ja 親和性 (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · pt afinidade (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · lb Affinitéit (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · es afinidad (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · hu sógorság (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · hi आत्मीयता (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ro afinitate (romantic relationship) · es afinidad (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · cs švagrovství (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · eo afineco (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · sh sklȍnōst (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · hu kapcsolat (the fact of and manner in which something is related to another) · id afinitas (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · ru влече́ние (romantic relationship) · sh afinìtēt (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ca afinitat (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · ru увлече́ние (romantic relationship) · ru влече́ние (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · fi affiniteetti (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · pl bliskość (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · fi mieltymys (romantic relationship) · sh sròdstvo (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · es afinidad (passionate love for something) · pt afinidade (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · da affinitet (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · hu affinitás (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · de Verwandtschaft (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · ru схо́дство (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · it affinità (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · hu sógor (kinsman or kinswoman of such relationship) · hu vonzódás (passionate love for something) · ru сродство́ (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · fi lankous (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · hu rajongás (passionate love for something) · fr affinité (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · tr alaka (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · fi sukulainen (kinsman or kinswoman of such relationship) · bg афините́т (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · sv samhörighet (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · ru ро́дственность (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · tr ilgi (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ru свойство́ (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · pt afinidade (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · sh afinìtēt (passionate love for something) · it affinità (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · ru родство́ (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · fi läheisyys (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ja アフィニティ (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · hu affinitás (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · ru сродство́ (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · es apegamiento (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · pt afim (kinsman or kinswoman of such relationship) · de Schwägerschaft (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · la affīnitās (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ru аффините́т (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · pt afinidade (passionate love for something) · nl affiniteit (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · hu affinitás (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ru рома́н (romantic relationship) · id afinitas (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · pl powinowactwo (kinsman or kinswoman of such relationship) · es afinidad (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · ro afinitate (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · ru увлече́ние (passionate love for something) · de Affinität (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · hu rokon vonás (the fact of and manner in which something is related to another) · es inhesión (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · sv affinitet (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · pl spowinowacenie (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · ru бли́зость (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · fr affinité (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · hu vegyrokonság (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · ga cleamhnas (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · ru влече́ние (passionate love for something) · ro afinitate (passionate love for something) · hu hasonlóság (the fact of and manner in which something is related to another) · ru ро́дственница (kinsman or kinswoman of such relationship) · ru аффините́т (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · ru сродство́ (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · id afinitas (chemistry: attraction between atoms) · cmn 親和力 /亲和力 (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · yi מחותּנישאַפֿט (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · hu érzék (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · de Affinität (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · hu fogékonyság (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ro afinitate (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · fi affiniteetti (medicine: attraction between an antibody and an antigen) · ru ро́дственник (kinsman or kinswoman of such relationship) · da tilknytning (natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing) · ru сродство́ (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity) · fr affinité (family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity)