analogue

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noun an·a·logue \ ˈa-nə-ˌlȯg , -ˌläg \

variants: or analog

Definition of analogue

1 :something that is analogous or similar to something else

2 :an organ or part similar in function to an organ or part of another animal or plant but different in structure and origin

The gill of a fish is the analogue of the lung of a cat.

3 usually analog :a chemical compound that is structurally similar to another but differs slightly in composition (as in the replacement of one atom by an atom of a different element or in the presence of a particular functional group)

4 :a food product made by combining a less expensive food (such as soybeans or whitefish) with additives to give the appearance and taste of a more expensive food (such as beef or crab)

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analogue was our Word of the Day on 03/02/2007. Hear the podcast!

Examples of analogue in a Sentence

a modern analog to what happened before
the synthetic analog of a chemical found in a tropical tree
a meat analogue such as tofu

Recent Examples of analogue from the Web

The crafty, needy Ingrid successfully ingratiates herself with Taylor, via social media and through old-fashioned, analogue stalking techniques.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Living under the influencer: 'Ingrid Goes West' is a witty satire of social media society," 23 Aug. 2017
Additionally, Democratic-leaning unions have invested heavily in registering and mobilizing voters, while the right has not really had an analogue.

— kenneth p. vogel, New York Times, "Ex-Trump Aides Hunt for Untapped Voters, and Proof of Fraud," 16 Aug. 2017
The survivors of the Ephron group and their successors are as unanimous in their hatred of Trump as the contemporary analogues were in their loathing of Nixon and their contempt for Reagan.

— conrad black, National Review, "The Media ‘In Crowd’," 15 Aug. 2017
Lord Acton's dictum about absolute power corrupting absolutely has a show-business analogue: absolute notoriety all too often tends to corrupt absolutely too.

— jon meacham, Time, "Elvis In the Heart of America," 10 Aug. 2017
Mister Miracle is a member of the New Gods, a group of superhumans from worlds called New Genesis and Apokolips, analogues of heaven and hell.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "The Best Superhero Story of the Summer: Mister Miracle," 9 Aug. 2017
Roll for the Galaxy’s tiles—the game's analogue to Race’s cards—were still emblazoned with all manner of arcane iconography, but the symbols were also accompanied by text explainers, making Roll a much easier game to teach.

— aaron zimmerman, Ars Technica, "Jump Drive review: An addictive, lightning-quick sci-fi card game," 5 Aug. 2017
The complexity of Twitty's story is a good analogue to the depth of his bigger tale, and the points of connection are innumerable.

— james norton, The Christian Science Monitor, "'The Cooking Gene' views the African-American experience through its food," 2 Aug. 2017
On June 14, nurses of all types (RN, NP, CRNA, CNS, CNM, LVN, CNA and local equivalents or analogues) get a free burrito, bowl, salad or order of tacos with the purchase of one at regular price.

— laura daily and bryan k. chavez, The Know, "Fridays are better with free coffee and fries, plus other deals around Denver June 10-16," 9 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'analogue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The word analogue entered English from French in the 19th century and ultimately traces back to the Greek word logos, meaning "ratio." (The word analogy, which has been a part of English since the 15th century, also descends from logos.) The noun analogue is sometimes spelled analog, particularly when it refers to a chemical compound that is structurally similar to another but slightly different in composition. Adding to the confusion, there is also an adjective spelled analog, which came into use in the 20th century. The adjective can refer to something that is analogous (as in an analog organ), but it is most often used to distinguish analog electronics from digital electronics (as in an analog computer or an analog clock).