Analogy

an-al′o-ji, n. an agreement or correspondence in certain respects between things otherwise different—a resemblance of relations, as in the phrase, 'Knowledge is to the mind what light is to the eye:' relation in general: likene : ( geom. ) proportion or the equality of ratios: ( gram. ) the correspondence of a word or phrase with the genius of a language, as learned from the manner in which its words and phrases are ordinarily formed: similarity of derivative or inflectional proce es.— adjs. Analog′ical , Anal′ogic .— adv. Analog′ically .— v.t. Anal′ogise , to explain or consider by analogy:— pr.p. anal′ogīsing; pa.p. anal′ogīsed. — ns. Anal′ogism ( obs. ), investigation by analogy: argument from cause to effect; Anal′ogist , one who adheres to analogy; Anal′ogon = analogue.— adj. Anal′ogous , having analogy: bearing some correspondence with or resemblance to: similar in certain circumstances or relations (with to ).— adv. Anal′ogously .— ns. Anal′ogousne ; An′alogue , a word or body bearing analogy to, or resembling, another: ( biol. ) a term used to denote physiological, independent of morphological resemblance.—Organs are analogous to one another, or are analogues , when they perform the same function, though they may be altogether different in structure; as the wings of a bird and the wings of an insect. Again, organs are homologous , or homologues , when they are constructed on the same plan, undergo a similar development, and bear the same relative position, and this independent of either form or function. Thus the arms of a man and the wings of a bird are homologues of one another, while the wing of a bird and the wing of a bat are both analogous and homologous. [Gr. ana , according to, and logos , ratio.]