Affinity, n.; pl. Affinities(#).
Etymology: [OF. afinité, F. affinité, L. affinites, fr. affinis. See Affined.]
1. Relationship by marriage (as between a husband and his wife's blood relations, or between a wife and her husband's blood relations); -- in contradistinction to consanguinity, or relationship by blood; -- followed by with, to, or between. Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh. 1 Kings iii. 1.
2. Kinship generally; close agreement; relation; conformity; resemblance; connection; as, the affinity of sounds, of colors, or of languages. There is a close affinity between imposture and credulity. Sir G. C. Lewis.
2. Companionship; acquaintance. [Obs.] About forty years past, I began a happy affinity with William Cranmer. Burton.
4. (Chem.)
5 more senses
That attraction which takes place, at an insensible distance, between the heterogeneous particles of bodies, and unites them to form chemical compounds; chemism; chemical or elective affinity or attraction.
5. (Nat. Hist.)
A relation between species or highe
6. (Spiritualism)
A superior spiritual relationship or attraction held to exist sometimes between persons, esp. persons of the opposite sex; also, the man or woman who exerts such psychical or spiritual attraction.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for affinity; he lists it under analogy, kin.
Where he writes about it:
Affinity is a mutual attraction with or without seeming likeness; as, the affinity of iron for oxygen. — from analogy
Affinity is relationship by marriage, consanguinity is relationship by blood. — from kin