Affinity
/əˈfɪnɪti/noun
A natural attraction, relationship, or similarity between people, things, or ideas.
Did you know?Affinity comes from Latin affīnitās, originally a legal word for relationship by marriage—literally the state of being “near a border” or “neighboring,” not blood-related kinship.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheigh-
“to form, build, or shape”
Latin
Latin
fīnis
“end, boundary, border”
Latin
Latin
affīnitās
“relationship by marriage; neighborhood, connection”
Old French
Old French
affinite
“relationship by marriage; close connection”
Middle English
English
affinite
“relationship by marriage; kinship by alliance”
Modern English
English
affinity
“a natural liking, attraction, or close connection”