analogy

[uh-nal-uh-jee] /əˈnæl ə dʒi/
noun, plural analogies.
1.
a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based:
the analogy between the heart and a pump.
2.
similarity or comparability:
I see no analogy between your problem and mine.
3.
Biology. an analogous relationship.
4.
Linguistics.
  1. the process by which words or phrases are created or re-formed according to existing patterns in the language, as when shoon was re-formed as shoes, when -ize is added to nouns like winter to form verbs, or when a child says foots for feet.
  2. a form resulting from such a process.
5.
Logic. a form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect, on the basis of the known similarity between the things in other respects.
Origin
1530-40; < Latin analogia < Greek. See analogous, -y3
Synonyms
1. comparison, likeness, resemblance, similitude, affinity. 2. correspondence.
Examples from the web for analogy
  • And so we turn, eagerly, for a fresher analogy.
  • Most espionage fiction of recent years bears a conscious analogy to a chess game.
  • The greatest danger to a speculative biologist is analogy.
  • The analogy of a high-wire walker inspires women to find order in their lives.
  • The analogy is not just surface-deep.
  • Consider the analogy of a plane that is tangent to a sphere.
  • She drew an analogy between this enterprise and the local infatuation with all things 80's.
  • The analogy between cars and computers can't be taken too far.
  • Consider a frivolous analogy to cookie-baking.
  • The advantage of a sports analogy is respect for accurate reporting of facts.
British Dictionary definitions for analogy

analogy

/əˈnælədʒɪ/
noun (pl) -gies
1.
agreement or similarity, esp in a certain limited number of features or details
2.
a comparison made to show such a similarity: to draw an analogy between an atom and the solar system
3.
(biology) the relationship between analogous organs or parts
4.
(logic, maths) a form of reasoning in which a similarity between two or more things is inferred from a known similarity between them in other respects
5.
(linguistics) imitation of existing models or regular patterns in the formation of words, inflections, etc: a child may use ``sheeps'' as the plural of ``sheep'' by analogy with ``dog'', ``dogs'', ``cat'', ``cats'', etc
Derived Forms
analogical (ˌænəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), analogic, adjective
analogically, adverb
analogist, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Greek analogia ratio, correspondence, from analogosanalogous
Word Origin and History for analogy
n.

1540s (perhaps early 15c.), from Old French analogie or directly from Latin analogia, from Greek analogia "proportion," from ana- "upon, according to" (see ana-) + logos "ratio," also "word, speech, reckoning" (see logos). A mathematical term used in a wider sense by Plato.

analogy in Culture
analogy [(uh-nal-uh-jee)]

A comparison of two different things that are alike in some way (see metaphor and simile). An analogy attributed to Samuel Johnson is: “Dictionaries are like watches; the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true.”

Encyclopedia Article for analogy

in biology, similarity of function and superficial resemblance of structures that have different origins. For example, the wings of a fly, a moth, and a bird are analogous because they developed independently as adaptations to a common function-flying. The presence of the analogous structure, in this case the wing, does not reflect evolutionary closeness among the organisms that possess it. Analogy is one aspect of evolutionary biology and is distinct from homology (q.v.), the similarity of structures as a result of similar embryonic origin and development, considered strong evidence of common descent

Learn more about analogy with a free trial on Britannica.com