Analogist

One who adheres to analogy. Analogous, a. [Fr. analogue, from Gr. ana, according to, and logos, proportion.] Having analogy; bearing some resemblance or proportion; having something parallel. "This incorporal substance may have some sort of existence. analogous to corporeal extension."-Locke. Analogously, adv . In an analogous manner. An'alogue, n . A body that resembles another. A fo il shell of the same species; as, a recent one is its analogue . Analogy, n. [Gr. analog i a , from ana , equally, and logos , ratio] ( Rhet . ) A certain relation and agreement between two or more things, which in other respects are entirely different. A ratio or relation between two objects denotes that they are composed together in reference to some quality which they po e in common, or to some manner in which the one is affected by the other. In this way we speak of one thing greater, smaller, or more beautiful than another; or the relation of a child to its parents, of a prince to his people. It is, however, only when we come to compare relations, when we find that the relation or ratio of two things is like the relations of two other things, that we properly have an analogy. A may resemble B, but there is no analogy between them; but if A bears the same relation to B that C does to D, then there is analogy. In relation we have only two terms or objects of comparison; in analogy we must have four, though it is not nece ary that all the four be different; for A may bear the same relation to B that B does to C. Two things may be connected by analogy, though they bear in themselves no resemblance to each other; for, in analogy, all other attributes are kept out of view but those in which they agree. Thus, the bark of a tree is analogous to the skin of an animal, though there is no resemblance between them. In reasoning from analogy, we proceed upon the a umption that things which have many observed attributes in common have other not observed attributes also in common. Analogy concludes from something observed to something not observed. Like induction, it can give us a high degree of probability, but it never reaches to nece ity. ( Geom .) The same thing as proportion, or the equality or similitude of ratios. See PROPORTION. ( Zool .) The relation which animals bear to another in the similarity of a smaller proportion of their organization; thus, the Ascalaphus italic us, in the length and knobbed extremities of its antennæ, the coloring of its wings, and its general aspect, exhibits a striking resemblance to a butterfly; but in all the e ential parts of its organization it adheres to the neuropterous type of structure; its relation to the Lepidoptera is therefore said to be one of analogy, while it is connected to the ant-lions by the order of affinity. (Gram.) A conformity in the principles or organization of different words, or collections of words. Anal'omink, in Pennsylvania , a post-office of Monroe co.