Analog

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈæn.ə.lɒɡ/

Definitions

1. A system or device that represents data through continuously variable physical quantities rather than discrete numerical values
2. A system that conveys information through smooth and continuous values rather than using distinct numerical values or discrete formats
3. A method or system that represents information by utilizing continuously varying signals or quantities rather than discrete digital distinctions

Etymology: The adjective "analog" is a good example of a word whose modern sense is far from its Greek roots. In ancient Greek, "análogos" meant "proportionate," built from "aná" ("up to" or "according to") and "lógos" ("ratio" or "reckoning"). Its sense was mathematical and proportional: two pairs of quantities stood in the same relation to each other, or, more loosely, things corresponded in some measurable way. French took the idea up as "analogue," and English borrowed that form in the early 19th century, when the word described things that were comparable or similar in function. Its modern technical sense came much later, from the mid-20th century, when engineers needed a term for devices that represent information as continuously varying quantities, such as the voltage in a record groove or the position of a clock hand, rather than as counted digits. The sense of continuous proportion that the Greek word carried is still there, only now it describes a signal rather than a ratio.

Synonyms: similar, comparable, resembling, alike, parallel

Antonyms: digital, unrelated, dissimilar, contrary, incompatible