af-fin-i-ty / əˈfinədē
noun a liking for or attraction to a person, thing, etc. Creativity begins with an affinity for something. Howard Gardner, 1943- kinship; sympathy due to common interest Those whom I deemed Changed to my kin, the friends of whom I dreamed, Have aged and lost our old affinity: One has to change to stay akin to me. from ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ by Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900 relationship by marriage or ties besides blood For example, a husband is related by affinity to his wife’s brother, but not to the wife of his wife’s brother. https://definitions.uslegal.com/a/affinity likeness based on relationship or common trait Beyond doubt, there was a certain splendor in pain, which bore a deep affinity to the splendor that lies hidden within strength. Yukio Mishima, 1925-1970 in biology, a relation between biological groups indicating a common origin Thus the evidence given by those five new thigh bones of the morphological and functional distinctness of Pithecanthropus erectus furnishes proof, at the same time, of its close affinity with the gibbon group of anthropoid apes. Eugene Dubois, 1858-1940 in chemistry, the force by which atoms are held together in compounds If Thought is capable of being classed with Electricity, or Will with chemical affinity, as a mode of motion, it seems necessary to fall at once under the second law of thermodynamics as one of the energies which most easily degrades itself, and, if not carefully guarded, returns bodily to the cheaper form called Heat. Henry Adams, 1838-1918 adjective of or relating to persons with a common interest or goal By identifying all the possible communities to which you belong, you may well find an affinity group – and a story – that helps you get your business off the ground, secures your dream job, or lets you achieve whatever goal you are pursuing. from ‘Start Something That Matters’ by Blake Mycoskie, 1976-