Analogy
/əˈnæl.ə.dʒi/noun
A comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
Did you know?The Greek root behind analogy, logos, also appears in words like astrology and biology, because ancient thinkers treated language, order, and meaning as part of the same cosmic pattern.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“to gather, collect, speak”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀναλογία (analogia)
“proportion, ratio, correspondence”
Late Latin
Latin
analogia
“proportion, similarity in grammar”
Old French
Old French
analogie
“analogy, correspondence”
14th Century
English
analogie
“proportion; similarity of relations”
Modern English
English
analogy
“a comparison based on similarity of relations or structure”