Analogue

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A representation that corresponds to another object or concept
2. Something that serves as a comparable example or equivalent to another thing ; a device or system that operates through continuous variable signals rather than discrete digital values
3. An entity acting as a counterpart or substitute to a different object or idea ; technology using continuously varying signals to represent information

Etymology: "Analogue" is the British spelling of "analog," and the two spellings have quietly split their duties: "analogue" is used for things that have a counterpart or stand in for something else, while "analog" is the form used for electronics and for the American word in general. The word's deeper history lies in the Greek prefix "ana-", which in this sense means "functionally similar," so an analogue is something that does a comparable job to something else without necessarily sharing its origin or structure. The second half, "-logue," comes from the Greek "logos," meaning word, reason, or proportion, and it is the same ending that appears in words like "dialogue" and "catalogue." Put together, the word carries the idea of a matching relationship, a kind of proportionate correspondence between two things. That is why a bird's wing and a bat's wing are analogues even though one descends from a feathered ancestor and the other from a membrane-winged one: they perform the same role, though their histories differ entirely.

Synonyms: equivalent, counterpart, parallel, similarity, comparison

Antonyms: opposite, contrast, dissimilarity