plural affinities
Definition of affinity
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: relationship by marriage
b(1)
: an attraction to or liking for something
people with an affinity to darkness— Mark Twain pork and fennel have a natural affinity for each other— Abby Mandel
(2)
: an attractive force between substances or particles that causes them to enter into and remain in chemical combination
c
: a person especially of the opposite sex having a particular attraction for one
3a
: likeness based on relationship or causal connection
found an affinity between the teller of a tale and the craftsman— Mary McCarthy this investigation, with affinities to a case history, a psychoanalysis, a detective story— Oliver Sacks
b
: a relation between biological groups involving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common origin
affinity
adjectiveDefinition of affinity (Entry 2 of 2)
chemistry
: of, relating to, involving, or used in affinity chromatography
The unwanted antibodies are removed in affinity columns, which contain a matrix to which other antibodies have already been allowed to bind … — Scientific American Although affinity labeling was originally developed for the investigation of enzymes, it has also added significantly to the study of the structure of active sites in other systems …— Meir Wilchek et al.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for affinity
The first known use of affinity was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century