Get Affordable VMs - excellent virtual server hosting


browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
affinity

more about affinity

affinity


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Affinity  \Af*fin"i*ty\,  n.;  pl  {Affinities}.  [OF.  afinit['e], 
  F.  affinit['e],  L.  affinites  fr  affinis.  See  {Affined}.] 
  1.  Relationship  by  marriage  (as  between  a  husband  and  his 
  wife's  blood  relations,  or  between  a  wife  and  her 
  husband's  blood  relations);  --  in  contradistinction  to 
  consanguinity,  or  relationship  by  blood;  --  followed  by 
  with  to  or  between. 
 
  Solomon  made  affinity  with  Pharaoh.  --1  Kings  iii. 
  1. 
 
  2.  Kinship  generally;  close  agreement;  relation;  conformity; 
  resemblance;  connection;  as  the  affinity  of  sounds,  of 
  colors,  or  of  languages. 
 
  There  is  a  close  affinity  between  imposture  and 
  credulity.  --Sir  G.  C. 
  Lewis. 
 
  2.  Companionship;  acquaintance.  [Obs.] 
 
  About  forty  years  past,  I  began  a  happy  affinity 
  with  William  Cranmer.  --Burton. 
 
  4.  (Chem.)  That  attraction  which  takes  place  at  an 
  insensible  distance,  between  the  heterogeneous  particles 
  of  bodies,  and  unites  them  to  form  chemical  compounds; 
  chemism;  chemical  or  elective  affinity  or  attraction. 
 
  5.  (Nat.  Hist.)  A  relation  between  species  or  highe?  groups 
  dependent  on  resemblance  in  the  whole  plan  of  structure, 
  and  indicating  community  of  origin. 
 
  6.  (Spiritualism)  A  superior  spiritual  relationship  or 
  attraction  held  to  exist  sometimes  between  persons,  esp. 
  persons  of  the  opposite  sex;  also  the  man  or  woman  who 
  exerts  such  psychical  or  spiritual  attraction. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Attraction  \At*trac"tion\,  n.  [L.  attractio:  cf  F.  attraction.] 
  1.  (Physics)  An  invisible  power  in  a  body  by  which  it  draws 
  anything  to  itself  the  power  in  nature  acting  mutually 
  between  bodies  or  ultimate  particles,  tending  to  draw  them 
  together,  or  to  produce  their  cohesion  or  combination,  and 
  conversely  resisting  separation. 
 
  Note:  Attraction  is  exerted  at  both  sensible  and  insensible 
  distances,  and  is  variously  denominated  according  to 
  its  qualities  or  phenomena.  Under  attraction  at 
  sensible  distances,  there  are  --  (1.) 
 
  {Attraction  of  gravitation},  which  acts  at  all  distances 
  throughout  the  universe,  with  a  force  proportional 
  directly  to  the  product  of  the  masses  of  the  bodies  and 
  inversely  to  the  square  of  their  distances  apart.  (2.) 
 
  {Magnetic},  {diamagnetic},  and  {electrical  attraction},  each 
  of  which  is  limited  in  its  sensible  range  and  is  polar  in 
  its  action  a  property  dependent  on  the  quality  or 
  condition  of  matter,  and  not  on  its  quantity.  Under 
  attraction  at  insensible  distances,  there  are  --  (1.) 
 
  {Adhesive  attraction},  attraction  between  surfaces  of 
  sensible  extent,  or  by  the  medium  of  an  intervening 
  substance.  (2.) 
 
  {Cohesive  attraction},  attraction  between  ultimate  particles, 
  whether  like  or  unlike,  and  causing  simply  an  aggregation 
  or  a  union  of  those  particles,  as  in  the  absorption  of 
  gases  by  charcoal,  or  of  oxygen  by  spongy  platinum,  or  the 
  process  of  solidification  or  crystallization.  The  power  in 
  adhesive  attraction  is  strictly  the  same  as  that  of 
  cohesion.  (3.) 
 
  {Capillary  attraction},  attraction  causing  a  liquid  to  rise, 
  in  capillary  tubes  or  interstices,  above  its  level 
  outside,  as  in  very  small  glass  tubes,  or  a  sponge,  or  any 
  porous  substance,  when  one  end  is  inserted  in  the  liquid. 
  It  is  a  special  case  of  cohesive  attraction.  (4.) 
 
  {Chemical  attraction},  or 
 
  {affinity},  that  peculiar  force  which  causes  elementary 
  atoms,  or  groups  of  atoms,  to  unite  to  form  molecules. 
 
  2.  The  act  or  property  of  attracting;  the  effect  of  the  power 
  or  operation  of  attraction.  --Newton. 
 
  3.  The  power  or  act  of  alluring,  drawing  to  inviting,  or 
  engaging;  an  attractive  quality;  as  the  attraction  of 
  beauty  or  eloquence. 
 
  4.  That  which  attracts;  an  attractive  object  or  feature. 
 
  Syn:  Allurement;  enticement;  charm. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  affinity 
  n  1:  (immunology)  the  attraction  between  an  antigen  and  an 
  antibody 
  2:  kinship  by  marriage  or  adoption;  not  a  blood  relationship 
  [syn:  {kinship  by  marriage}]  [ant:  {consanguinity}] 
  3:  (biology)  state  of  relationship  between  organisms  or  groups 
  of  organisms  resulting  in  resemblance  in  structure  or 
  structural  parts:  "in  anatomical  structure  prehistoric  man 
  shows  close  affinity  with  modern  humans"  [syn:  {phylogenetic 
  relation}] 
  4:  a  close  connection  marked  by  community  of  interests  or 
  similarity  in  nature  or  character:  "found  a  natural 
  affinity  with  the  immigrants";  "felt  a  deep  kinship  with 
  the  other  students";  "anthropology's  kinship  with  the 
  humanities"  [syn:  {kinship}] 
  5:  the  force  attracting  atoms  to  each  other  and  binding  them 
  together  in  a  molecule:  "basic  dyes  have  an  affinity  for 
  wool  and  silk"  [syn:  {chemical  attraction}] 
  6:  inherent  resemblance  between  persons  or  things 
  7:  a  natural  attraction  or  feeling  of  kinship:  "an  affinity  for 
  politics";  "the  mysterious  affinity  between  them"; 
  "James's  affinity  with  Sam" 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Affinity 
  relationship  by  alliance  (2  Chr.  18:1)  or  by  marriage  (1  Kings 
  3:1).  Marriages  are  prohibited  within  certain  degrees  of 
  affinity,  enumerated  Lev.  18:6-17.  Consanguinity  is  relationship 
  by  blood. 
 




more about affinity