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#REDIRECT [[Empathy]]
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Elective-affinities-1811.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] ''affinite'', from Anglo-French or [[Latin]]; Anglo-French ''affinité'', from [[Latin]] ''affinitas'', from ''affinis'' bordering on, related by [[marriage]], from ''ad''- + ''finis'' end, [[border]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_century 14th Century]
==Definitions==
*1: [[relationship]] by [[marriage]]
*2a : [[sympathy]] marked by [[community]] of interest : kinship
:b (1) : an [[attraction]] to or liking for something <people with an affinity to [[darkness]] — Mark Twain> <pork and fennel have a natural affinity for each other — Abby Mandel> (2) : an [[attractive]] [[force]] between substances or [[particles]] that causes them to enter into and remain in [[chemical]] combination
:c : a person especially of the opposite [[Gender|sex]] having a particular [[attraction]] for one
*3a : likeness based on [[relationship]] or causal [[connection]] <found an affinity between the teller of a tale and the craftsman — Mary McCarthy> <this [[investigation]], with affinities to a case history, a [[psychoanalysis]], a detective story — Oliver Sacks>
:b : a relation between [[biological]] groups involving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common [[origin]]
==Description==
In [[law]] and in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_anthropology cultural anthropology], '''affinity''', as distinguished from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consanguinity consanguinity], is [[kinship]] by [[marriage]]. It is the relation which each party to a marriage bears to the kindred of the other. In [[English]], affinity is usually signified by adding "-in-law" to the degree of kinship. In addition to kinship by marriage, "affinity" can sometimes also include kinship by [[adoption]].
''Affinity'' in terms of [[sociology]], refers to "kinship of [[spirit]]", interest and other interpersonal commonalities. Affinity is characterized by high levels of [[intimacy]] and [[sharing]], usually in close groups, also known as affinity groups. It differs from affinity in [[law]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_(canon_law) canon law] which generally refer to the [[marriage]] relationship. [[Social]] affinity is generally thought of as "marriage" to [[ideas]], [[ideals]] and causes shared by a tight [[community]] of people.
''Affinity'' in taxonomy – mainly in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_sciences life sciences] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_history natural history] – refers to resemblance suggesting a common descent, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylogenetics phylogenetic] relationship, or [[type]]. The term does, however, have broader application, such as in [[geology]] (for example, in descriptive and theoretical works, and similarly in [[astronomy]] (for example, see "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur_object Centaur object]" in the context of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2060_Chiron 2060 Chiron]'s close affinity with icy comet nuclei.
In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_physics chemical physics] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_chemistry physical chemistry], chemical affinity is the electronic property by which dissimilar chemical [[species]] are capable of forming [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_compounds chemical compounds]. Chemical affinity can also refer to the tendency of an [[atom]] or compound to combine by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_reaction chemical reaction] with [[atoms]] or compounds of unlike composition.
[[Category: The Sciences]]
