analogous

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   corresponding in function but not in evolutionary origin

   the wings of a bee and those of a hummingbird are analogous

2. 2
   adj

   similar or equivalent in some respects though otherwise dissimilar

   brains and computers are often considered analogous

3. 3
   adj

   Having analogy, the status of an analogue; corresponding to something else; bearing some resemblance or similar proportion (often followed by "to".)

   Analogous tendencies in arts and in manners.

From Latin analogus, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́λογος (ănắlogos); Its English equivalent is analogue + -ous. The application to similar features of organisms is nearly as old as the general sense. Recognizably modern uses of the second sense, distinguishing analogous from homologous, appear in the mid-19th century.

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