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| af·fin·i·ty [ ə fínnətee ] (plural af·fin·i·ties) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. feeling of identification: a natural liking for or identification with somebody or something
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2. connection: a similarity or connection between people or things
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3. somebody attractive: somebody to whom somebody else is attracted
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4. cultural anthropology kinship by marriage: a relationship by marriage, not by blood
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5. biology language similarity in structure: a similarity in structure, e.g. in species or languages, that may suggest a common origin
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6. chemistry likelihood of chemical reaction: a measure of the likelihood of a chemical reaction taking place between two substances
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7. immunology antigen-antibody attraction: the attraction between an antigen and an antibody
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| [14th century. < Old French afinité "close relationship" < Latin affinis "bordering on something" < finis "border"] |