analogy

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a·nal·o·gy

(ə-năl′ə-jē)

n. pl. a·nal·o·gies

a. A similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar: sees an analogy between viral infection and the spread of ideas.

b. A comparison based on such similarity: made an analogy between love and a fever.

2. Biology Correspondence in function or position between organs of dissimilar evolutionary origin or structure.

3. A form of reasoning based on the assumption that if two things are known to be alike in some respects, then they are probably alike in other respects.

4. Linguistics The process by which words or morphemes are re-formed or created on the model of existing grammatical patterns in a language, often leading to greater regularity in paradigms, as evidenced by helped replacing holp and holpen as the past tense and past participle of help on the model of verbs such as yelp, yelped, yelped.

[Middle English analogie, from Old French, from Latin analogia, from Greek analogiā, from analogos, proportionate; see analogous.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

analogy

(əˈnælədʒɪ)

n, 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) biology the relationship between analogous organs or parts

4. (Logic) 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) 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.

[C16: from Greek analogia ratio, correspondence, from analogos analogous]

analogical, ˌanaˈlogic adj

ˌanaˈlogically adv

aˈnalogist n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•nal•o•gy

(əˈnæl ə dʒi)

n., pl. -gies.

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 our situations.

3. a similarity of forms having a separate evolutionary origin (opposed to homology).

4. a linguistic process by which words or phrases are created or re-formed according to existing patterns in the language, as when dialectal shoon was re-formed as shoes.

5. a form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect, on the basis of known similarities in other respects.

[1530–40; < Latin analogia < Greek]

analogy

- Comes from Greek analogia, "a proportion," such as 2/10 = 10/X, a way of calculating unknown quantities.

analogy

an agreement or correspondence in particular features between things otherwise dissimilar; in literature, the basis for metaphor and simile. — analogie, analogical, adj.

analogy

Comparison made between two or more things in order to show their similarity.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	analogy - an inference that if things agree in some respects they probably agree in others illation, inference - the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation
	2.	analogy - drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect; "the operation of a computer presents and interesting analogy to the working of the brain"; "the models show by analogy how matter is built up" comparing, comparison - the act of examining resemblances; "they made a comparison of noise levels"; "the fractions selected for comparison must require pupils to consider both numerator and denominator"
	3.	analogy - the religious belief that between creature and creator no similarity can be found so great but that the dissimilarity is always greater; any analogy between God and humans will always be inadequate doctrine of analogy faith, religion, religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"

analogy

noun similarity, relation, comparison, parallel, correspondence, resemblance, correlation, likeness, equivalence, homology, similitude The analogy between music and fragrance has stuck.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

analogy

noun

The quality or state of being alike:

affinity, alikeness, comparison, correspondence, likeness, parallelism, resemblance, similarity, similitude, uniformity, uniformness.

Translations

аналогияподобие

analogie

analogija

analogi

analogy

[əˈnælədʒɪ] N → analogía f; (= similarity) → semejanza f
by analogy with; on the analogy of → por analogía con
to argue from or by analogy → razonar por analogía
to draw an analogy between → señalar una semejanza entre

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

analogy

[əˈnælədʒi] n → analogie f
to draw an analogy between sth and sth → établir une analogie entre qch et qch
by analogy → par analogieanal-retentive [ˌeɪn^əlrəˈtɛntɪv] adj

(PSYCHOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY) → qui fait une fixation au stade anal

(pejorative) → maniaque

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

analogy

n → Analogie f; arguing by analogy one could claim that … → analog könnte man behaupten …; to draw an analogy → eine Analogie herstellen, einen analogen Vergleich ziehen; on the analogy of → analog zu, nach dem Muster (+gen); it’s an argument by analogy → es ist ein Analogiebeweis, es ist eine analoge Argumentation

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

analogy

[əˈnælədʒɪ] n → analogia
to draw an analogy between → fare un'analogia tra

analogy

n. analogía, semejanza.

References in classic literature ?

The accursed shark alone can in any generic respect be said to bear comparative analogy to him.

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Metaphor is the application of an alien name by transference either from genus to species, or from species to genus, or from species to species, or by analogy, that is, proportion Thus from genus to species, as: 'There lies my ship'; for lying at anchor is a species of lying.

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I must try the method of Analogy." Then followed a still longer silence, after which he continued our dialogue.

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No fragments which can be identified as belonging to the first period survive to give us even a general idea of the history of the earliest epic, and we are therefore thrown back upon the evidence of analogy from other forms of literature and of inference from the two great epics which have come down to us.

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I never heard him speak of those whose work had a certain analogy with his own -- of Cezanne, for instance, or of Van Gogh; and I doubt very much if he had ever seen their pictures.

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Analogy would lead me one step further, namely, to the belief that all animals and plants have descended from some one prototype.

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There is this analogy between the customs of the Lacedaemonians and the Cretans, the Helots cultivate the grounds

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He made use of every kind of mental device, except analogy, and passed too boldly, it seemed to Prince Andrew, from one to another.

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Now there is no one circumstance in which the distempers of the mind bear a more exact analogy to those which are called bodily, than that aptness which both have to a relapse.

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“Reasoning from analogy, Richard, but not with any certainty of the fact.”

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The youth and cheerfulness of morning are in happy analogy, and of powerful operation; and if the distress be not poignant enough to keep the eyes unclosed, they will be sure to open to sensations of softened pain and brighter hope.

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THE UTILITY OF THE UNION TO YOUR POLITICAL PROSPERITY THE INSUFFICIENCY OF THE PRESENT CONFEDERATION TO PRESERVE THAT UNION THE NECESSITY OF A GOVERNMENT AT LEAST EQUALLY ENERGETIC WITH THE ONE PROPOSED, TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THIS OBJECT THE CONFORMITY OF THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION TO THE TRUE PRINCIPLES OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT ITS ANALOGY TO YOUR OWN STATE CONSTITUTION and lastly, THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY WHICH ITS ADOPTION WILL AFFORD TO THE PRESERVATION OF THAT SPECIES OF GOVERNMENT, TO LIBERTY, AND TO PROPERTY.