WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Af*fin"i*ty
Part of Speech : n.; pl. Affinities(#).
Etymology : [OF. afinit?, F. affinit?, L. affinites, fr. affinis. See Affined.]
Definition : 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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: A relation between species or highe

6. (Spiritualism)

Defn: 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.


Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913